GeoBoids: A Mobile AR Application for Exergaming Robert W. Lindeman 1,2 *, Gun Lee 1 , Leigh Beattie 1 , Hannes Gamper 1 , Rahul Pathinarupothi 1 , Aswin Akhilesh 1 The Human Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand, University of Canterbury 1 Human Interaction in Virtual Environments Lab, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 2 ABSTRACT We have designed a mobile Augmented Reality (AR) game which incorporates video see-through and spatialized audio AR techniques and encourages player movement in the real world. In the game, called GeoBoids, the player is surrounded by flocks of virtual creatures that are visible and hearable through mobile AR application. The goal is for the player to run to the location of a GeoBoid swarm in the real world, capture all the creatures there, then run to the next swarm and repeat, before time runs out, encouraging the player to exercise during game play. The most novel elements of the game are the use of audio input and output for interacting with the creatures. The interface design of the game includes AR visualization, spatialized audio, touch gestures and whistle interaction. Feedback from users in a preliminary user study was mostly positive on overall game play and the design of the UI, while the results also revealed improvements were needed for whistle interaction and the visual design of the GeoBoids. Keywords: Augmented Reality, Exergaming, Spatialized Audio, Mobile, Gaming. Index Terms: H.5.1 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: Multimedia Information Systems – Artificial, augmented, and virtual realities 1 INTRODUCTION Mobile Augmented Reality (AR) platforms support many possible applications, including information display for annotation [1], self-guided tours [2], visualization for city planning [3], and entertainment [4]. New hardware initiatives, such as Epson’s Moverio [5] or Google’s Project Glass [6], provide a glimpse of what light-weight, wearable, always-available display technology might look like. Such devices provide see-through visual displays, wireless Internet connectivity, location and motion sensors, and audio interfaces. We are interested in exploring the design space of applications for devices with these capabilities, focusing here on entertainment. 2 AR FOR ENTERTAINMENT Several innovative mobile AR games have been designed for use in an outdoor setting. The iOS game Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner [7] puts the player in the gunner turret of the Millennium Falcon, with a mode that blends graphical elements with the view captured from the mobile device camera, and another mode that is purely virtual. Paranormal Activity: Sanctuary [8] is an action- horror game where the player has to rid their local area of evil ghosts. It combines a map mode, a spell-casting mode where the camera captures stars sketched by the player, and a first-person view where 3D-registered virtual ghosts are displayed in physical locations, such as cemeteries and churches. Ghosts can be captured by snapping a picture of them. AR! Pirates [9] is a game that uses the camera to capture a simple AR marker (three dots), and embeds a pirate ship siege scene into the view. The player can shoot the ships using weapons. Lacking from most mobile AR games is any use of audio as input, as well as a design that encourages physical player movement over large distances. 3 GEOBOIDS: CREATURES FROM THE EIGHTH DIMENSION GeoBoids is a game designed to combine fast-paced, arcade-style action with large-scale physical user movement for exergaming. The concept is that geometric creatures from the eighth dimension are visible in our dimension using a specially equipped device (the player’s smartphone). They congregate in flocks in certain areas of our world. The player’s goal is to travel to those places identified on a map, and collect GeoBoids, in order to help them return to their own dimension. Each species of GeoBoid has its own properties, including color, shape, flying pattern, active time of day/night, and affinities (Figure 1). Two main game-play modes have been implemented: Field Mode and Arcade Mode. Other modes, including breeding and trading GeoBoids through social networking sites, are being explored. Figure 1: Visual concept of GeoBoids. 3.1 Exergaming in Field Mode Field Mode play assumes the player is standing in a large open space, about the size of a football field. In this mode, the player sees a digital map of the local area, with locations of GeoBoid flocks displayed as overlays (Figure 2a). These locations are randomly generated each time the player plays a level in Field Mode. The player position is denoted by an oriented arrow, which is updated dynamically as the player moves around the physical world. An audible sonar “ping” is played using spatialized audio according to the distance and direction toward a GeoBoid flock, helping the player to find the nearest GeoBoid. Once the player is within range of a flock, play switches to Arcade Mode. * email address: gogo@wpi.edu