Augmented Physics: Creating Interactive and Embedded Physics Simulations from Static Textbook Diagrams

Aditya Gunturu, Yi Wen, Nandi Zhang, Jarin Thundathil, Rubaiat Habib Kazi, Ryo Suzuki  

The ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST 2024)

Links:     PDF   Poster   Slide   Video   30s Video   GitHub   ACM DL   IEEE   arXiv   Talk

Abstract

We introduce Augmented Physics, a machine learning-integrated authoring tool designed for creating embedded interactive physics simulations from static textbook diagrams. Leveraging recent advancements in computer vision, such as Segment Anything and Multi-modal LLMs, our web-based system enables users to semi-automatically extract diagrams from physics textbooks and generate interactive simulations based on the extracted content. These interactive diagrams are seamlessly integrated into scanned textbook pages, facilitating interactive and personalized learning experiences across various physics concepts, such as optics, circuits, and kinematics. Drawing from an elicitation study with seven physics instructors, we explore four key augmentation strategies: 1) augmented experiments, 2) animated diagrams, 3) bi-directional binding, and 4) parameter visualization. We evaluate our system through technical evaluation, a usability study (N=12), and expert interviews (N=12). Study findings suggest that our system can facilitate more engaging and personalized learning experiences in physics education.

Publication

Slide