Larngear's 3d books put fun into learning

Larngear’s MR Studio brings computer-generated objects to life so users can interact with them as they would with actual objects lying in front of them. The virtual objects can be rotated and viewed from different angles.

Studying geology need not be boring any longer. Instead of learning about the Earth's structure from plain textbooks, Thai students can now make learning geology fun with an innovative three-dimensional textbook.

Not only can students learn from the textual content, they can also see simulated, 3D pictures of the Earth and its geological aspects to gain a better understanding of the subject, Larngear Technology product manager Apinand Dabpetch said.

Larngear, a two-year-old local software developer, has developed its own Mixed Reality technology to create an educational tool for transforming the way Thai students learn. Mixed Reality is a combination of the real and virtual world that can create new environments and visualisations.

The technology allows actual and digital objects to coexist and interact in real time, showing users 3D pop-up objects placed in a real environment.

The company has developed a tool called MR Studio for bringing computer-generated objects to life so that users can interact with them as they would with actual objects lying in front of them.

The technology uses a marker to represent an object. Once the marked object is captured by a Web camera, imaging data is sent to a computer system where it shows up as a 3D object.

Apinand said students can put a marker on a book and use a Web camera to capture data. Virtual 3D objects representing, for example, the Earth's surface would then appear on the computer screen. Students will be able to zoom in and move the object around to see it from different angles.

"We hope that the 3D book based on the Mixed Reality technology will bring a new facet to the Thai education system," Apinand said.

Prior to this, the company has used Mixed Reality to help students study the structure of molecules. Students are able to take a closer look at a molecule's shape, its properties and its electron structure with the aid of virtual, 3D objects.

Apart from studying individual molecules, Apinand said the technology also allowed students to combine different molecules and generate new compounds.

Larngear has developed these tools for the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology to improve science education in the country. Business development manager Singhapong Sukunto said the company spent almost two years getting the MR Studio ready for practical use.

"Earlier, users had to wear goggles to see 3D objects. Now, they can just use a Web camera and a computer monitor to view virtual objects," he said.

Meanwhile, the team has enhanced the system to display 3D objects accurately and consistently. Today, Larngear's MR technology can capture images with the marker at 80 to 90 degree angle of inclination and users can rotate and move the captured objects within  360 degrees.

Singhapong said the company plans to launch its product commercially this year. It will work with a partner to promote MR technology in the education sector and hopes to generate revenue of Bt4 million this year.

      At a glance

n The technology uses a marker to represent an actual object.

n The marked object is captured by a Web camera and the imaging data is sent to a computer where it shows up as a 3D object.

n The company plans a commericial  launch this year.