OscARsWelt: A collaborative augmented reality game

Abstract

Combining physical and virtual objects in a computer game is becoming more and more popular, not only for players, but also for developers due to their flexibility in creating the game. We extended the idea by including a car-like Raspberry Pi robot, called OscAR which can be maneuvered through a realistic model city via a steering wheel and pedals, providing immersive gameplay. The gimmick in OscARsWelt is that the driver does not necessarily need to be personally on site, but can play our game from all over the world as long as he connects to our robot. To allow multiplayer gameplay, it is possible to join OscARsWelt as an additional player by using an Android device. The player has the choice to either support or to hinder the driver. Required to guarantee an immersive user experience are low-latency video streaming, a realtime- capable tracking system that remains stable while the robot is in motion, a fully remote-controllable car and a sufficient field of view.