We live in a culture with the unprecedented capacity to bring together the physical and the virtual, to transform our relationships to objects and landscapes through the addition of computer-generated information. But what constitutes a successful, compelling and emotionally rich experience in such environments? The Augmented reality lab at York University is developing techniques, software and narrative strategies for use in Augmented Reality and mixed-reality environments, research increasingly important for Canada’s culture and entertainment industries as AR technology and associated technologies become more commonplace. Under the direction of the Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture Caitlin Fisher, the AR Lab at York University is at the forefront in working with both established and emerging technologies to produce innovative research methods, interfaces and content that challenge cinematic and literary conventions and aim to enhance the ways in which people interact with their physical environment and with each other. Located in the Faculty of Fine Arts, we work with partners in computer science to inform technical work and HCI research and collaborate internationally with key thinkers, labs and private-sector partners in the field.

This research is significant in its emphasis on the training and inclusion of graduate student researchers . External grants awarded to the lab have dramatically increased the infrastructure available in the faculty and researchers in the lab now have access to over a million dollars worth of technology, much of this emerging technology that, to date, artists only rarely have the opportunity to access, among them: optical see-through HMDs, IS900 and 1200 trackers, holoscreens and a fogscreen. The work and training of graduate student researchers is integral to the design of the lab’s research projects and students working in the lab are undertaking research at the cutting edge of art/science collaborations.

Recent research projects include the development of a new interface that will enable non-programmers to produce easy augmented reality experiences. In collaboration with computer vision researcher Dr. Mark Fiala who has provided us with a unique and robust marker tracking library, SnapdragonAR is now available for free trial or purchase here: SnapdragonAR.

As part of the Future Cinema Lab at York University the Augmented Reality lab offers artists and students the opportunity to work with advanced technology in order to investigate the effects of new media on the mechanics of storytelling, narrative, and expression.