Simulation Teaching in 3D Augmented Reality Environment

Traditional 3D virtual environments give people an isolated feeling in their interactive experience. This paper proposes a simulation instruction mode based on 3D Augmented Reality (AR) environments which can improve interactive experience. The camera detects the presetting markers which will later generate 3D virtual objects and shoots teachers´ and students´ real experimental operations at the same time, interposing the virtual objects on the real scene to produce a blended environment. With that technology, we construct both the local AR-based environments and the distant AR-based environments and devise several simulation instruction cases, such as Newton´s First Law of Motion, Newton´s Second Law of Motion, Simple Pendulum and Ants Meeting Algorithm, etc. According to the experimental analysis of students´ learning interests and learning results, we conclude that in an AR-based learning environment, students adopt a natural interactive method and enjoy the same experience as in real environments due to the abandonment of mouse and keyboard devices. Furthermore, that blended AR-based learning environment is able to interpose objects which are inaccessible in real life due to limitation of expenses and safety or some other factors on the real scene, presenting an innovative and fascinating learning mode which eliminates the isolated feeling in learning.