AR climbing wall

How does the exhibit work?

Climb the climbing wall and try to touch the pink monsters. When you do, they fall off the wall.

There are thick mats under the climbing wall, so it doesn't hurt if you fall.

In front of the wall is a screen. It allows other people to drag extra monsters to the wall.

What is the science behind it?

Virtual reality completely immerses you in a new world. Augmented reality (AR for short) does not go that far. You continue to see your own environment. There is just a digital layer over it. Like here: you still see a real climbing wall, but in the digital layer you see paintings and monsters.

A depth camera scans the wall and people climbing on it. The computer then analyses where the hands and feet are. After all, that info is important for the game on the wall. That game is programmed. That is, we wrote instructions for the computer. The game takes into account where you are and adapts accordingly. It is full of IF... THEN....

For example: IF a hand touches a monster, THEN it disappears. That's a bit like negotiating with your parents: IF you clean up your room, THEN you get extra screen time.

AR to bring extinct animals to life

Want to make a Tyrannosaurus rex walk around your living room? You can!

• Step 1: Go to www.google.com on your smartphone.

• Step 2: Search for 'Tyrannosaurus'.

• Step 3: In the search results, click on 'Display in 3D' at the top.

• Step 4 : Then click 'Show in your space'.

P.s. This also works with Velociraptor, Triceratops, Spinosaurus and Stegosaurus.

AR for online shopping

Shopping online is easy, fast and you can do it from the comfort of your armchair. The downside? You can't try on the clothes or shoes. Or you can, virtually, with an AR app. You take pictures of yourself and, thanks to AR, you can then see how a garment or shoe looks on you.