This Augmented Reality app presents a number of experiences related to the Rocky Reach and Wanapum hydroelectric dams in Chelan and Grant Counties respectively, and was commissioned by the utilities.
Bring a school of spawning salmon into your own space, follow a drop of water as it makes its way from the upstream forebay through a turbine to the downstream tail waters, and fly a drone at each facility.
Additional education information is provided in the form of texts and diagrams about both salmon and turbines, and a news features keeps you up to date at what’s going on at the PUDs and dams in both counties.
They took a broad vision of what we wanted and condensed it down into an experience that is worthwhile for the user. They were also flexible and easy to work with.
– Chuck Allen, Grant County Public Utility District
Migrating Salmon
The first of three experiences puts the user in the middle of a stream of migrating salmon. Through your device’s camera, you can see that you are still in your own environment – whether it be your classroom, home, or office, or someplace outdoors – but that that space is now flooded with water, and the salmon are furiously swimming toward you.
As you spin around to look behind you, you seem them disappearing upstream into the distance. Look up, look down – they are all around!
Turbine Journey
The second experience is a simulation of a water molecule’s journey through a dam’s turbine. When you start this activity, you are in the forebay on the upstream side of the dam, underwater, looking toward the intake tubes, with the spinning turbine ahead of you. The water is slowly pushing you toward the turbines as gravity does its job of moving water from one side of the dam to the other.
As you proceed, you are pulled inexorably toward the turbine, down the draft tube, and out into the tail waters on the downstream side of the dam, which you discover is actually your own space, but underwater with fish swimming around!
Drone Tours
The third and final experience finds you at the controls of a drone hovering over the tail waters on the downstream side of the dam. Use the joystick to look around and fly toward and away from the dam. A heads-up display shows your elevation over the water, your bearing, speed, and distance from the original launch point on the river’s bank. Optional annotations appear to call out the various features of the dam and surrounding area, including the spillway, fish ladders, visitors’ centers, etc.
Device Requirements
powAR utilizes ARKit and ARCore, the native Augmented Reality platforms on your iOS and Android devices. Therefore, the app requires an ARKit- or ARCore-enabled device. ARKit is supported on all devices that run on iOS 11 and have A11 (the latest), A10, or A9 chips. Some of the devices are iPhone X and iPhone 8 (Plus) as well as earlier versions such as iPhone 7 (Plus) and some others. See more information on your platform below.
iOS Devices
Requires iOS 11.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPad Pro (12.9‑inch), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (9.7‑inch), iPad Pro (9.7‑inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (5th generation), iPad (5th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (2nd generation), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (2nd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (10.5‑inch), iPad Pro (10.5‑inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (6th generation), iPad Wi‑Fi + Cellular (6th generation), iPad Pro (11‑inch), iPad Pro (11‑inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (3rd generation), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (3rd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (5th generation), iPad mini (5th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Air (3rd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (7th generation), iPad (7th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, and iPod touch (7th generation).
Android Devices
Requires Android 7.0 or later (some models require newer versions), and the device must have originally shipped with the Google Play Store installed. See more information at the Google’s Compatibility Page.
Optimization
Because not all devices are created equal, a number of performance settings are available in the Preferences area of the app in order to maximize the experiences on your particular device.
Support
If there are questions regarding this app, you may contact us at info@workshop3d.com.
This support page was last modified on February 23, 2020