The Augmented REality Sandtable (ARES)

The Augmented REality Sandtable (ARES) is a research testbed that uses commercial off-the-shelf products to create a low-cost method of geospatial terrain visualization with a tangible user interface which can be used for simulation and training. The projection technology combined with a Microsoft Kinect sensor and a laptop is intended to provide an enhancement to traditional military sand tables. This report discusses the development of the system, its place among previous related work, and research methodology/experimentation efforts to assess impacts on human performance. It also provides an explanation of current, ongoing, and future research questions and capabilities. It discusses current collaborations and key leader engagements up to this point. The goal of this report is to provide a resource for researchers and potential collaborators to learn more about ARES and the opportunity to use its service-oriented architecture for the development of content for specific domains. The original document contains color images.