140 The 8 th International Scientific Conference eLearning and software for Education Bucharest, April 26-27, 2012 10.5682/2066-026X-12-114 AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO TEACHING MECHANISM USING AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGIES Florin GIRBACIA, Silviu BUTNARIU Transilvania University of Brasov, 29 Eroilor Blvd., Brasov, Romania E-mail: garbacia@unitbv.ro, butnariu@unitbv.ro Abstract: This paper presents a markerless AR book for teaching in enjoyable way mechanisms in mechanical engineering courses. The main idea is to provide to the student real time information on mechanism structure and kinematics by mixing images from the real world with 3D virtual objects. Although the user may watch a physical experiment by means of a webcam, on the computer screen he will see real book pages and, superimposed, the relevant graphical annotations and 3D mechanism simulation. The software, hardware and the methodology, as well as the results are described in detail. Using this teaching concept, a variety of computational mechanism models can be studied, which reduces the need for classical experiments that involve expensive installations. The advantage of this system method is the usage of inexpensive equipment for intuitive learning the simulation of mechanisms. Keywords: Augmented Reality, AR book, virtual 3D models, co-location I. .INTRODUCTION An undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum invariably includes a course about the Theory of Mechanisms and Machines through which students learn modelling and analysis of mechanisms. Teaching Theory of Mechanisms and Machines has traditionally relied on physical models. These physical models provide an intuitive representation of the mechanical structure, allowing students to explore aspects such as type and construction of joints, mobility etc. [1]. The classical method of teaching the Theory of Mechanisms and Machines course is a difficult task which requires the students’ imagination or the usage of expensive mechanical installations. The teaching methods must evolve according to the new technologies that can help the students in the learning process. Advances in Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Engineering (CAD/CAE) have allowed creation of virtual prototypes that represent mechanical systems at any scale and complexity. Recently, virtual prototyping based on CAD/CAE and Virtual Reality (VR) has been proposed as an improved interface for teaching systems dynamics to mechanical engineering undergraduate students [2], [3], [4]. Using haptic systems, the numerical results of simulations and tests can be converted into forces that the user can percept. This way the plots and graphs can be replaced with the actual experience of switching a virtual device reproducing the force feedback that would characterize the real counterpart with a high degree of fidelity [5]. The disadvantage of using VR technologies for teaching is the high complexity and the cost. Augmented Reality (AR) is a relative new research direction that allows creation of an interactive virtual space embedded into the physical word. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR) systems, in which users are completely immersed in the virtual environment, AR users see the virtual objects and the real world coexisting in the same space (co-located) [6]. It is the goal of AR to supplement reality