MS candidate and Italian exchange student, Marco Cavallo presents his research in Augmented Reality (AR). His presentation will introduce a user-centered AR approach for publishing 2D media archives as AR content. Relevant technical considerations for developing an effective application in the Unity 3D game engine for public outdoor AR experiences that leverage context-specific elements in a challenging, real-world environment will be discussed. This research provides enabling technology for the the Riverwalk project - Chicago 0,0, a novel app-based AR experience that superimposes historical imagery onto matching views in downtown Chicago along the Chicago river Riverwalk pedestrian mile. Historical photographic and filmic views of the sites along the river are superimposed onto buildings, bridges, and other architectural features through image-based AR tracking, providing a striking experience of the city’s history as rooted in extant locations within the community.

This work is done in collaboration with Geoffrey Alan Rhodes, Assistant Professor at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago.