Saturday MARCH 9TH, 2024 / noon – 4PM / Emmaus Triangle Park
The gnomes will be back! JuxtaHub is pleased to announce that we will be hosting our second Community Augmented Reality Event (CARE) at the Emmaus Arts Commission’s Snowblast Winter Arts Festival, which will be held Saturday March 9thth at the Emmaus Triangle Park in Emmaus from noon to 4PM. All new gnome
Recalling the tradition of decorating storefronts for the holiday season, the project pairs the talents of Emmaus High School students enrolled in the Jasper Initiative with cutting-edge digital technology that will enable them to create winter-themed augmented reality experiences in front of participating businesses.
Augmented reality refers to superimposing a computer-generated 3D image on a user’s view of the real world, thus creating a composite scene that blends both into one image. To view the students’ displays, festival goers will simply point their smart phones at a QR code and click to see the work appear on screen in front of them.
“This next generation technology is becoming commonplace, but we’re not yet to the point where the average person knows how to create an AR experience to share with others,” explains John Oetting, the JuxtaHub board member who serves as technical advisor to the project. “JuxtaHub is driven to help our community access such tools, so we’re thrilled to work with our local school district and business owners on a demonstration project that we believe is the first-of-its-kind in the nation.”
If you want a preview of how the system works, click here to meet JuxtaHub’s mascot gnome, Collaboatio (pictured above) for yourself. The directions in our portal site are intuitive, but just in case you have questions, here’s what you need to do:
- Simply point the camera on your mobile device at an open area on the floor and Collaboratio will appear in your phone’s field of vision.
- Use two fingers to expand or shrink Collaboratio to whatever size you like … walk around while pointing your camera at Collaboratio … he’ll stand very still while he’s sharing space with you so you can see him from all sides!
- Take a screenshot and get ready to meet Collaboratio’s other friends at SnowBlast!
JuxtaHub would like to extend special thanks to Chris Kollar and the students in the EHS Jasper Initiative, as well as all the participating local businesses:
Apport Used Books
Art Beat Studio & Café
Auras Custom Crystals
Baked
Better Homes and Gardens
Conversational Threads
David’s Deli
Emmaus Historical Society
Emmaus Public Library
Emmaus Rotary
Emmaus Run Inn
FD Market Co
Funk Brewing
Grandpa Joe’s
House of Metalworks
Lifestyle Barber
Korpics Upholstery
Let’s Play Books
Morty’s Steaks
Nowhere Coffee Co.
Now and Then Books
Purr House
South Mountain Cycle
Switchback Pizza
Yergey Brewery