Ana Villanueva Archives - Convergence Design Lab, Purdue University

ProcessAR: An augmented reality-based tool to create in-situ procedural 2D/3D AR Instructions

Jun 29, 2021

Subramanian Chidambaram, Hank Huang, Fengming He, Xun Qian, Ana M Villanueva, Thomas S Redick, Wolfgang Stuerzlinger, Karthik Ramani

In Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems Conference

Augmented reality (AR) is an efficient form of delivering spatial information and has great potential for training workers. However, AR is still not widely used for such scenarios due to the technical skills and expertise required to create interactive AR content. We developed ProcessAR, an AR-based system to develop 2D/3D content that captures subject matter expert’s (SMEs) environment object interactions in situ. The design space for ProcessAR was identified from formative interviews with AR programming experts and SMEs, alongside a comparative design study with SMEs and novice users. To...

Towards modeling of human skilling for electrical circuitry using augmented reality applications

Jun 23, 2021

Ana Villanueva, Ziyi Liu, Yoshimasa Kitaguchi, Zhengzhe Zhu, Kylie Peppler, Thomas Redick, Karthik Ramani

International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education

Augmented reality (AR) is a unique, hands-on tool to deliver information. However, its educational value has been mainly demonstrated empirically so far. In this paper, we present a modeling approach to provide users with mastery of a skill, using AR learning content to implement an educational curriculum. We illustrate the potential of this approach by applying this to an important but pervasively misunderstood area of STEM learning, electrical circuitry. Unlike previous cognitive assessment models, we break down the area into microskills—the smallest segmentation of this knowledge—and...

RobotAR: An Augmented Reality Compatible Teleconsulting Robotics Toolkit for Augmented Makerspace Experiences

Jun 7, 2021

Ana Villanueva, Zhengzhe Zhu, Ziyi Liu, Xin Du, Joey Huang, Kylie Peppler, Karthik Ramani

In Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Distance learning is facing a critical moment finding a balance between high quality education for remote students and engaging them in hands-on learning. This is particularly relevant for project-based classrooms and makerspaces, which typically require extensive trouble-shooting and example demonstrations from instructors. We present RobotAR, a teleconsulting robotics toolkit for creating Augmented Reality (AR) makerspaces. We present the hardware and software for an AR-compatible robot, which behaves as a student’s voice assistant and can be embodied by the instructor for...

Hands-on with augmented reality in remote classrooms

Jun 13, 2020

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote education has forced teachers to use every tool in their toolbox. But augmented reality, which allows both visual and hands-on instruction from any setting, remains out of reach for most educators. A team led by Purdue University has built an app platform called MetaAR, enabling students and teachers to collaborate easily using augmented reality. “Augmented reality is overlaying digital content onto the physical world,” said Karthik Ramani, Purdue’s Donald W. Feddersen Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. “It can be...

Meta-AR-App: An Authoring Platform for Collaborative Augmented Reality in STEM Classrooms

Mar 1, 2020

Ana Villanueva, Zhengzhe Zhu, Ziyi Liu, Thomas Redick, Kylie Peppler, and Karthik Ramani

In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Augmented Reality (AR) has become a valuable tool for education and training processes. Meanwhile, cloud-based technologies can foster collaboration and other interaction modalities to enhance learning. We combine the cloud capabilities with AR technologies to present Meta-AR-App, an authoring platform for collaborative AR, which enables authoring between instructors and students. Additionally, we introduce a new application of an established collaboration process, the pull-based development model, to enable sharing and retrieving of AR learning content. We customize this model and create...

SynchronizAR: Instant Synchronization for Spontaneous and Spatial Collaborations in Augmented Reality

Oct 15, 2018

Ke Huo, Tianyi Wang, Luis Paredes, Ana M Villanueva, Yuanzhi Cao, Karthik Ramani

In Proceedings of the 31th Annual Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, UIST 2018, Oct. 14-17, Berlin, Germany.

We present SynchronizAR, an approach to spatially register multiple SLAM devices together without sharing maps or involving external tracking infrastructures. SynchronizAR employs a distance based indirect registration which resolves the transformations between the separate SLAM coordinate systems. We attach an Ultra-Wide Bandwidth (UWB) based distance measurements module on each of the mobile AR devices which is capable of self-localization with respect to the environment. As users move on independent paths, we collect the positions of the AR devices in their local frames and the...