The topic of my thesis is “Hybrid development for mobile augmented reality”. That old chestnut, amirite? If you really want to know, hybrid development is a form of cross-platform software development, where you create only a web application and then wrap it into Android and iOS containers, effectively creating apps for three target platforms.

This method of developing software has proven effective for regular apps, but I haven’t found any project using AR in such a way. That’s why I set out to prove that it is possible. I kinda failed.

Kinda as in, I got it to work on Android and web browsers, but not on iOS. The main problem is that the AR frameworks I tested (AR.js, jsartoolkit, A-Frame, to name a few) use specific browser APIs, which are not available (or don’t work properly) in the iOS WebView used for hybrid apps.

Along the way, I also created a framework for displaying mathematical objects in 3D, a web-based visual editor for AR and hybrid, and a tutorial guide for developers wishing to try this workflow. All that and more can be found on my thesis website.

And if you want to go really in-depth on the topic, you can find my thesis here.

We also got to connect with the principal of St. Pölten Business High School, who we are now working with to set up a pilot test of our math learning app. This event was a huge boost for us and now we’re even more excited for the future of the startup!

Our team got assigned the following challenge:

“How can we use digitalization to promote natural protection and biodiversity?”

The concept of iLab is that you start out with lots of small teams (we were only two in the beginning). Throughout the semester, there are two “Gates”, where each team presents their current progress, and then some are kicked out. Those team members then get reassigned to the remaining teams and continue working on these solutions.

Luckily, our team made it through both gates and grew from two people two a final number of five. Our team had a diverse array of skills, which helped us a lot in the process of developing our final product. I proudly present:

An app which challenges users to change different areas of their life. Users track their challenge progress and the impact they have on the environment, and compare their results with friends. Our prototype contains a sustainable nutrition challenge, which revolves around a plant-based diet. As a side note, research for that challenge also made me go vegan overnight, and I haven’t looked back ever since.

Check out our website at everydayheroesapp.wordpress.com!

The idea we pitched is ARchimedes – an interactive math learning app, which features exercises for all different learning styles, and contents taken from real-world examples. We started working on the idea at the beginning of the year, but changed the business model a lot with the information we learned during our summer school programs.

ARchimedes will also heavily rely on AR and VR exercises, in order to make math more tangible and exciting. To showcase this, we created a small demo scene on exponential growth for the live pitch, which we then showcased in AR. Of course the scene contained an exponentially growing amount of gold coins, to show what would happen if you invested in our startup.

Bein accepted into the incubator means we will now get more support through the next year, which means you’ll definitely get to read more from this project.

One of the core components of the program was the 3DS foundations bootcamp, which I talked about in the previous post. Before the bootcamp, we had a few teambuilding exercises, such as a ridiculous scavenger hunt through Austin, where we had to take photo proof of some of the tasks we had to do. After the bootcamp, the rest of the time in Austin was spent visiting different tech companies, accelerators and other organizations in the startup environment, not to forget, relaxing, sightseeing and enjoying the unique Austin atmosphere. While the program was incredibly intense and exhausting, I got so much out of it, both in terms of knowledge and inspiration, for my own startup, which I’ll definitely be writing about more in the months to come.

One of the coolest things about the Austria to Austin program is the fact that you can choose the date and location of your return flight from the US. This means that there’s a lot more photos coming in the next days!

In the 3DS Foundations program, you learn about business modeling, market analysis and customer discovery. The program forces you to get out of your comfort zone, into the streets, and talking to potential customers as much as possible.

Luckily, the idea I pitched at the beginning of the program was selected, and as a team of four, we got to work on it for four days. And with this, I proudly present: Mimic, an AR wearable for blind people, which enhances human conversation.

The goal of Mimic is to sonify facial expressions of your conversation partner, meaning that a slight smile will produce a subtle “positive” sound, while a frown will create a more dull and “negative” sound effect. These sounds should flow naturally into the rest of the conversation, so as to provide visual context. Take a look at our pitch deck to learn more.

I had a great time working on the project, and after the final pitch, we even got a contact for a guy working at Bose Ventures, to talk about possible integration with their AR platform. This was proof to me of how open and welcoming the American entrepreneurial ecosystem is.

My colleague Huang and I were invited to Perchtoldsdorf castle to receive the award, which was given to various innovative industrial and scientific projects carried out in Lower Austria in the last year.

Check out the Pixel VR project here.

We’ll take this one day to bask in the glory of our heroic achievements, but new adventures await. By that I mean, the master’s program starts next month. Already super excited for that!

Also, I’m starting a part-time job as research assistant at the same research department that I have worked for in my internship. I’ll also be developing VR and AR apps there, so I’m super hyped to start that job too.