Micha Tielemans (1792593) – State of the Art Technology- Project Diary
PREMISE
“Creating an AR experience visualizing air pollution and natural air purification for the purpose of creating awareness.”
SYNOPSIS
Air pollution is a problem the public has heard about but doesn’t seem to grasp. They are aware of the basic principles and effects of air pollution but don’t know how polluted the air they breathe is. This is devastating, since generating awareness about air quality could help with pollution reduction (Ramírez et al., 2019). Augmented reality (AR) could help with achieving this goal. By displaying air pollution in a way, the naked eye can’t perceive. I aimed to learn and use this new technology to create an experience to increase awareness about air pollution.
SUBSTANTIATION
Air pollution is a mix of particles and gases, which are known for causing cardiovascular and respiratory problems and environmental damage (Mahajan et al., 2020). The current pollutants of interest are ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), thoracic particles smaller than 10 µm (PM 10), and respirable particles smaller than 2.5 µm (PM 2.5) (Brunekreef & Holgate, 2002). We want to use the effects of these gasses and particles of air pollution as a basis for creating awareness through our AR experience.
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology, where the physical world has been “augmented” by the addition of virtual computer-generated information. AR adds to the user’s perception of and interaction with the real world (Carmigniani et al., 2011). AR will also help with the increase in awareness. Studies have shown that users had an increase in conceptual knowledge and in topic interest and engagement, after using AR for informal Science learning interactions (Goff et al., 2018).
There have been multiple instances where AR helped to increase awareness about environmental issues. There has been a project, where Air quality data was modeled and augmented through AR miniature trees. It shows these virtual trees live using telephone cameras, in our immediate surroundings. This helps with a better understanding of the local context (Prophet et al., 2018). The use of AR with the integration of gamification concepts has helped to improve environmental knowledge and awareness (Mei & Yang, 2019).
PROJECT OVERVIEW
I want to create an AR experience that makes air pollution “visible” and shows what vegetation contributes to air purification. The phone’s camera will show the real world, where the air is filled with air polluting particles. When the user is looking at a certain particle, information will be displayed about what it is, what it contributes to air pollution, and where it originates from. Users could also look at vegetation and receive information about how it purifies the air.
Prototype 1: Proof of concept (Artivive)
My first interaction with creating AR models was in the workshop during one of our classes. We used a website called Artivive. I decided to create a proof of concept, to investigate if my idea was accomplishable. I gathered general information about the air purification qualities of one of my house plants (Walden, 2021). This information was displayed in a video and overlayed on a picture. In the second situation, I used a photo of my physical houseplant. This made it seem that this prototype was able to scan real-life objects and gained the insight that it was possible to use 2D pictures for recognition in the physical world.
Figure 1 Artivive Model
Figure 2 Proof of concept: Picture`
Figure 3 Proof of concept: Real life
Prototype 2: CO2 molecule (Unity)
During my research into existing AR examples about air pollution, I found a video that corresponded with my vision. But instead of displaying measurements, I want to display information about each particle.
After Artivive, I began researching what advanced AR programs I could use for my next iterations. I decided to use Unity, a real-time development platform for games, VR, and AR. With the addition of AR Foundations, it is possible to use the ARCore XR Plugin on android to run my prototypes on my mobile phone. Unity uses C++ coding scripts to assist in adding functionality to your prototypes.
I found a tutorial and wanted to use the concept to display my information. I started modeling a CO2 molecule and gathered basic information about carbon dioxide (Somma, M., 2021), that could be displayed as a placeholder. After finishing I tested first in Unity and then build the APK. to my phone.
Figure 4 Unity CO2 model
Figure 5 C++ code for Pop-up animation information
Figure 6 C++ code for activating Pop-up animation when looked at with camera
Figure 7 C++ code for rotating information with camera view
Figure 8 Video CO2 model
Prototype 3: Multiple particles (Unity)
The AR prototype worked for one particle, so my next iteration was about adding multiple particles. I decided to focus on the current pollutants of interest. I used the foundation of the CO2 model from the previous iteration and narrowed down the information I wanted to display. I gathered additional data about Ozone (US EPA, 2016a), No2 (US EPA, 2016c), Particle matter (US EPA, 2016b), PM2.5 (Fine Particles (PM 2.5) Questions and Answers, n.d.) and combined them with information from my literature review. I wanted to compare the maximum allowed concentration to the current concentration in the air. So, I collected that data from a Dutch air quality index (Utrecht – de Jongweg Air Quality Index (AQI) and Utrecht Air Pollution | IQAir, n.d.) and picked the data from the nearest place near campus.
| Component | Definition | Effects | Origin | Maximum concentration allowed (µg/m3 in 1-hour average) | Current concentration (µg/m3) |
| O₃ | Ozone | · Decrements in lung function
· Chest tightness, wheezing, or shortness of breath · An increase in small airway obstruction · Ozone is associated with increased mortality
|
Formed by photochemical reactions between two classes of air pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 15 | 49.3 |
| NO₂ | Nitrogen dioxide | · Irritate airways in the human respiratory system
· Aggravate asthma, leading to respiratory symptoms hospital admissions, and visits to emergency rooms · development of asthma and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections |
emissions from cars, trucks and buses, power plants, and off-road equipment | 200 | 13.4 |
| PM2.5 | Respirable particles smaller than 2.5 µm | · Eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation.
· Increased respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and deaths · Increased rates of chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, and increased mortality from lung cancer and heart disease |
Form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals emitted from power plants, industries, and automobiles. | 2.7 | 6.5 |
| PM10 | Thoracic particles smaller than 10 µm | · Premature death in people with heart or lung disease
· Heart attacks · Decreased lung function · Irritation of the airways, coughing, or difficulty breathing. |
Emitted directly from a source, such as construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks, or fires. | 2.1 | 3.2 |
Table 1 Display information Prototype 3
Figure 9 Video Prototype 3, first iteration
I added the modeled the 4 particles and tested out my prototype. The prototype worked properly, but I experienced some points for improvement:
- 5 particles were sometimes barely visible, so I enlarged the PM2.5 spheres and the PM10 accordingly.
- The capsule of the information board for the PM2.5 particles was too large.
- The starting position of the models was too far to the right. I corrected the beginning position of the AR camera.
- You had to look too far down to interact with the models. I raised the positions of all the models to be above Y=1.
I got rid of these inconveniences and added light estimation to models, to enhance the feel of immersion of virtual aspects into the real world.
Figure 10 Unity Prototype 3, second iteration
Figure 11 Video Prototype 3, second iteration
I send out a survey, containing a video of the latest prototype. This way everybody could experience my AR prototype and I could gather peer feedback:
- Use shorter/summarized information text.
- Make text more visible.
- Enlarge particles.
- What the design represents is clear.
- Way of interaction is nice. Would like to pause the interaction so it doesn’t disappear too quickly.
- Created more awareness about air pollution.
- Add if the air pollution in your nearby surroundings is “Okay’ or “Bad”.
Figure 12 Survey prototype 3
After I reviewed the answers to the survey, I concluded that it was rather difficult to get some insight into how users would physically interact with the prototype. So, I did a small interaction test with my prototype with 3 users. I noticed that users found the interaction intuitive and understood how to get the information to pop up. What was difficult for the users, was keeping the information visible and not letting the pop-up close. This was probably due to the information being mostly displayed on the bottom half of the screen. Naturally, users wanted to center it and look too far down. This meant that the AR camera couldn’t trigger de animation anymore.
Future prototype
Fixes for the next iteration(s):
- Make the information board not transparent, so information is visible.
- Summarize effects of particles for easier viewing.
- Remove the information about maximum and current concentration. Use a color code to indicate if a value is “good” or “bad”.
- Use an invisible object to activate the pop-up animation. This way It could be bigger and make it easier for users to keep reading the information.
Conclusion
The AR experience is a helpful and new tool to create more awareness about the topic of air pollution. It still needs to have a compressive research phase including how users will continue to use the prototype and if they will use their newfound insight in any meaningful way. During this project, I managed to learn a lot about the technology of augmented reality and the possibilities it could provide.
AR has a lot of possibilities to expand this prototype and take it even more tailored to its user. We could start by including Plane Occlusion. This way the virtual particles will get obstructed by real-life objects and feel more incorporated into the real world. The ability to include Realtime data is very interesting and could give a data-driven element. We could add location-based data from air quality monitors. This way we could generate an AR experience that matches the close environment of the user. Another way of creating a location-based experience is by using Vuforia Area targets. Using this program, you could scan your desired environment. Unity has the ability to recognize the scanned environment and display a tailormade experience.
During this project, the part about users interacting with vegetation and receiving information about how it purifies air has been absent from later prototypes. But this functionality could be added to future iterations. We could implement the technique of image tracking and use the same principles as my Artivive prototype. More advanced techniques like Object recognition or use machine learning could also be used for the recognition of different plants and trees.
REFERENCES
Brunekreef, B., & Holgate, S. T. (2002). Air pollution and health. The Lancet, 360(9341), 1233–1242. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11274-8
Carmigniani, J., Furht, B., Anisetti, M., Ceravolo, P., Damiani, E., & Ivkovic, M. (2011). Augmented reality technologies, systems and applications. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 51(1), 341–377. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-010-0660-6
Fine Particles (PM 2.5) Questions and Answers. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/indoors/air/pmq_a.htm
Goff, E. E., Mulvey, K. L., Irvin, M. J., & Hartstone-Rose, A. (2018). Applications of Augmented Reality in Informal Science Learning Sites: A Review. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 27(5), 433–447. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-018-9734-4
Mahajan, S., Kumar, P., Pinto, J. A., Riccetti, A., Schaaf, K., Camprodon, G., Smári, V., Passani, A., & Forino, G. (2020). A citizen science approach for enhancing public understanding of air pollution. Sustainable Cities and Society, 52, 101800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101800
Mei, B., & Yang, S. (2019). Nurturing Environmental Education at the Tertiary Education Level in China: Can Mobile Augmented Reality and Gamification Help? Sustainability, 11(16), 4292. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164292
Prophet, J., Kow, Y. M., & Hurry, M. (2018). Cultivating Environmental Awareness: Modeling Air Quality Data via Augmented Reality Miniature Trees. In D. D. Schmorrow & C. M. Fidopiastis (Eds.), Augmented Cognition: Intelligent Technologies (Vol. 10915, pp. 406–424). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91470-1_33
Ramírez, A. S., Ramondt, S., Van Bogart, K., & Perez-Zuniga, R. (2019). Public Awareness of Air Pollution and Health Threats: Challenges and Opportunities for Communication Strategies To Improve Environmental Health Literacy. Journal of Health Communication, 24(1), 75–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2019.1574320
Somma, M. (2021, October 20). The Effects of Carbon Dioxide on Air Pollution. Sciencing. https://sciencing.com/list-5921485-effects-carbon-dioxide-air-pollution.html
US EPA, O. (2016a, March 21). Health Effects of Ozone in the General Population [Data and Tools]. https://www.epa.gov/ozone-pollution-and-your-patients-health/health-effects-ozone-general-population
US EPA, O. (2016b, April 19). Particulate Matter (PM) Basics [Overviews and Factsheets]. https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics
US EPA, O. (2016c, July 6). Basic Information about NO2 [Overviews and Factsheets]. https://www.epa.gov/no2-pollution/basic-information-about-no2
Utrecht—De Jongweg Air Quality Index (AQI) and Utrecht Air Pollution | IQAir. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.iqair.com/netherlands/utrecht/utrecht-c/utrecht-de-jongweg
Walden, S. P. + L. (2021, October 12). 26 best air purifying plants for the home. Country Living. http://www.countryliving.co.uk/homes-interiors/a668/houseplants-to-purify-house-air/