ARCare: Creating Low-cost Augmented Reality for Care and Creative Environments

ARCare creates immersive interactive augmented reality environments for the arts, education, and care industries. 10 low-cost interactive AR systems (ARCareBox) will be developed and provided to schools and child/aged care facilities, and art galleries and performance venues on application.
The ARCareBox (approx. 50*30*30 cm) allows users to easily present their content to create bespoke immersive environments: schools can present immersive/interactive educational programs, care facilities can create calming/therapeutic virtual environments, artists can present immersive/interactive gallery-based works, and performance venues can present interactive/immersive performance designs.
Prototype ARCare systems have been successfully used in aged care, galleries and in performances.

It is well known that immersive environments can enhance learning, create calm through invoking natural environments, and provide novel opportunities for the creative arts. Practitioners know the value of AR in their practices, but the high cost of AR systems, and the need for specific technical skills prohibit its use.
The ARCareBox addresses this need by providing a low-cost, easy to use system that allows users to present their own content. The ARCare group has experience in these areas and the ARCare boxes would be available to practitioners in care, education and the arts communities (Victoria wide).