ElectronicsAR: Design and Evaluation of a Mobile and Tangible High-Fidelity Augmented Electronics Toolkit

Abstract

Exploring and interacting with electronics is challenging as the internal processes of components are not visible. Further barriers to engagement with electronics include fear of injury and hardware damage. In response, Augmented Reality (AR) applications address those challenges to make internal processes and the functionality of circuits visible. However, current apps are either limited to abstract low-fidelity applications or entirely virtual environments. We present ElectronicsAR, a tangible high-fidelity AR electronics kit with scaled hardware components representing the shape of real electronics. Our evaluation with 24 participants showed that users were more efficient and more effective at naming components, as well as building and debugging circuits. We discuss our findings in the context of ElectronicsAR's unique characteristics that we contrast with related work. Based on this, we discuss opportunities for future research to design functional mobile AR applications that meet the needs of beginners and experts.