When first studying computer science at Oregon State University, my focus was on grasping the various concepts and rules that were associated with coding. I never really sat down my first year of the program to consider what I wanted to do with this degree. It wasn’t until the previous year we just passed that I realized I wanted to end up in VR/AR development. I remember I was just on my phone looking at typical “Top Ten from Mojo” videos when my Youtube feed suggested a trailer on Metaverse. I clicked on it just out of curiosity and was instantly absorbed. I was always aware of VR/AR technology as it has been around through phone apps and headsets such as the Oculus and Vive. The trailer, however, really opened my imagination to what VR/AR could be in the future and has made me want to be a part of it.
Realizing this is part of the reason why I chose the project I am currently working on for my program’s final capstone project. This project involves our team to develop a AR storybook application which enhances the experiences of users in reading a story/picture book. Our objective for this application is to allow users to use their phones and scan a book cover or QR code and experience a storybook which pops up on their phone screens with 3-D models of the landscape and characters. In that way users can enjoy a AR reimagining of a classic.
I hope that this project gives me more insight to the field I want to end up in and gives users who experience our application inspiration to use more AR/VR applications or perhaps end up like me and start pursuing development in this field. AR/VR has so many potential applications such as medicine, education, and entertainment. The possibilities are endless.
