Augmented Reality Display with ESPresso Lite V2

Recent global craze about Pokemon Go has raise the awareness about augmented reality (AR). It used to be rather fashionable to put out many applications that utilizes AR as the core technology. However the consumer response to this technology is somewhat lacklustre compared to the huge technological potential it can bring. Often, AR is perceived as something that require complex programming or deep understanding in building interactive design and models. Nowadays the process is much more simplified thanks to a wide selection of AR building tools and engines (e.g. Vuforia).

Following up on a previous project, we can use AR to create interesting display for example bringing up a 3D virtual object that can display sensor data such as temperature & humidity by simply pointing the camera to a 2D print image.

1. Setting up the temperature & humidity sensor.

Much of the set up procedures has been largely documented at https://www.hackster.io/espert/quick-temperature-humidity-dashboard-with-freeboard-55823f

We will be using the same setup i.e. insert the OLED display and DHT22 sensor into the headers provided for in the ESPresso Lite V2. Once the Wi-Fi connection is established, the device will transmit the temperature & humidity data to the espert.io cloud in the form of JSON messages.

2. Download the Espert AR app.

This app is available for free and is intended only to all the users of the ESPresso Lite V2 board since it takes in the unique board id that is tied to the board itself. As it is still under testing and development, only the iOS version is available. The app can be downloaded here.

3. Connect to the ESPresso Lite V2 board that is sending out the sensor data.

Touch the setting icon (shaped like a gear) to bring up the setup page. Look for the ARDHT icon and key in the board id of the ESPresso Lite V2 in the empty field next to it.

4. Point the phone at the DHT marker.

When you are ready, touch the big silver AR button in the centre and point the phone to a marker (a 2D printed image) of the DHT display. You can download the markers over here.

A 3D object will be generated in a few seconds where a display showing the temperature and humidity level will be shown on the screen. You can freeze the display by touching on the 'lock' icon.

There you have it. If you enjoy this AR experience, you may want to explore using it with other markers to control physical actuators. We will be sharing some of these projects in future you like us to.