Capybara

Programmable and Social AR for Children

ByPrinceton HCI

Capybara is a social AR app that aims to democratize AR by empowering young people to express themselves through creating AR content with others while learning programming. Inspired by Scratch and Pokémon GO, Capybara will enable people of all ages can used block-based programming to build AR experiences with 3D characters that they can place at physical locations, which others can interact with and remix into their own creations.

Children as Creators of Augmented Reality Experiences

Augmented Reality apps like Pokémon Go let children play with AR technology but not create with it. Through Capybara, we aim to empower children with the creative flexibility to build and show-off Augmented Reality projects they have created themselves.

Block Based Programming Interface

We use a block based coding interface, drawing on the success of Scratch, the popular creativity support tool for children.

Constructionism Inspired Design

Capybara incorporates constructionist ideas and is built on the principle that children learn best when given the autonomy to experiment in the real world through social interactions with other learners .

Bridging the Physical and Virtual for a Real World Immersive Experience

Augmented Reality offers the unique opportunity to create digital elements that interact with the real world. This bridge allows for a new dimension of creative expression, as creators can incorporate real world concepts such as time, location, and physical objects into the programs they build.

A Federated Model for Moderation

Capybara advocates for a federated, decentralized operating model. Creators can elect to join servers based on location or shared interests and collectively set rules and shared norms for each server.