:: CONSTRUCTION
Overview:
Cybersidewalk is an augmented Reality installation. It is mobile and fully self-sufficient. An internet connection is established wirelessly.
Looking through its translucent projection screen, a meta-layer of information becomes visible which is mapped on the environment in three dimensions. This layer contains communication objects, enables to paint graphiti on the walls and makes avatars visible that have joined via a web interface on the internet. It is possible to communicate with these avatars in realtime audio- and videostreams.
Core Setup
1: Laptop Computer (Dell Inspiron 500e)
2: Battery Pack
3: Wireless Mouse/Keyboard Antenna 54Kb/s (SMC)
4: Micro-Camera Receiver connected to USB-TV interface for live streaming
5: 802.11g WLAN PCMCIA Card
The x- and y-Axis of a Computer Mouse have been seperated and mounted on the two back wheels of the cart. The data of the wheels' motion is delivered through the serial port directly to Macromedia Director which can precisely calculate the position and orientation of the cart.
To increase the Projection Distance to the Acrylic Screen, a Foil Mirror is used. The protective layer on the acrylic screen was sufficient to display a bright and sharp translucent projection. For more Pictures of the Cart look at the Design Section.
Software: Even though I’m arguing for open source development, I am using commercial tools which are suited for rapid prototyping. Due to the short development cycle I believe this conceptual inconsistency to be justifiable.
The system is based on Macromedia Director and the Flash communication server, HTML, an Apache Server and a Helix server.Hardware: The Wheel rotation electronics is smoldered from parts of computer mice; the signal is routed to the serial port via a EC3581 chipset. From there, it is read with the aid of the Direct Communication Xtra by DirectXtras.com.
Embedded into the Terminal is also a Dell Inspiron 8500e Laptop with SMC 54Gbps Wifi card, 2.4GHZ video-Audio receiver, an APC UPS Battery Unit, an NEC LT240 Beamer with wide angle optic and a Microsoft wireless Desktop set (Ice). The mirror is held by a Multiblitz adjustable stand.
As I'm arguing for open source, the source code for the installation is provided for download here. However I will not provide any support. You will need licensed copies of the Macromedia software above.