Capybara is a social AR app that aims to democratize AR by
empowering young people to express themselves through creating AR
content with others while learning programming. Inspired by
Scratch and Pokémon GO, Capybara will enable people of all ages
can used block-based programming to build AR experiences with 3D
characters that they can place at physical locations, which others
can interact with and remix into their own creations.
Children as Creators of Augmented Reality Experiences
Augmented Reality apps like Pokémon Go let children play with AR
technology but not create with it. Through Capybara, we aim
to empower children with the creative flexibility to build and
show-off Augmented Reality projects they have created
themselves.
Block Based Programming Interface
We use a block based coding interface, drawing on the success of
Scratch, the popular creativity support tool for children.
Constructionism Inspired Design
Capybara incorporates constructionist ideas and is built on the
principle that children learn best when given the autonomy to
experiment in the real world through social interactions with
other learners .
Bridging the Physical and Virtual for a Real World Immersive
Experience
Augmented Reality offers the unique opportunity to create digital
elements that interact with the real world. This bridge allows for
a new dimension of creative expression, as creators can
incorporate real world concepts such as time, location, and
physical objects into the programs they build.
A Federated Model for Moderation
Capybara advocates for a federated, decentralized operating model.
Creators can elect to join servers based on location or shared
interests and collectively set rules and shared norms for each
server.
