Nanotechnology demo using augmented reality

We recently went to the SWITCH technology conference to showcase the different nanomaterials that the chemists in the program make, but how do you show them to people if they are only a few tens of nanometres across. We came up with an augmented reality demo which uses the nyar4psg library in processing allowing for the 3D models of the nanostructures to be picked up and observed in a webcam. 

The business cards on which we printed the visual barcodes for the AR had the material description and link to the academic manuscript printed on the other side of the card. We also had a petri dish with the powder showing the actual material at the macroscale.

I have uploaded the sketch with the 3D models if you want to replicate the demo. You will need to install the video and nyar4psg library which does all of the grunt work. Thanks to Nick Jose, Kwok Mingyao Kelvin, Wang Jingjing and Louise Martin for helping put it all together.

By clicking any button on the keyboard it would take a selfie allowing people to take selfies with the nanomaterials which was a lot of fun. Here are some of my favourites.

Photos from @SwitchSingapore of visitors enjoying the photo booth. Come and join us tomorrow to learn more about #CambridgeCARESnanotech pic.twitter.com/1GlwJpV56N

— Cambridge CARES (@cambridge_cares) September 17, 2018