The Simple Idea behind This Mind-Blowing 3D Interactive Sandbox

Playing in the sandbox used to be my favorite activity as a small child. I remember making pretend volcanos, rivers, lakes,  and tunnels in the sand. Well, researchers at UC Davis have come up with a way to bring those imaginary landscapes to life with interactive 3D projection technology. The results are simply breath-taking!

When you were a kid, did your sandbox have active volcanoes?



This amazing interactive sandbox responds to your actions, and can be built at home using common-place technology.


All it takes is a digital projector and a Kinect.


The projector displays an interactive topographic map, with contour and elevation in real-time.


You can make hills and valleys, and the computer changes the projection to match the landscape!


Museums around the world are starting to create their own interactive sandboxes…


It’s not only fun… it’s a great way to teach kids about geography!


Watch the full demo video here… I can’t wait to try this!


iSandbox

If you want to make one of these at home, all it takes is a digital projector, a Microsoft Kinect, a sandbox, and some sand… Then download the software and instructions from UC Davis. I can’t wait to try this!