AURORA

AURORA is an interactive experience that uses the ZED 2i stereo camera and Unreal Engine 5 to create virtual auroras that follow users’ movements. On 16 April 2024, a total of 21 third-graders from the Helsinki German School participated in a workshop during the after-school programme. In this workshop, the children were divided into four groups and asked to interact with AURORA to express friendship.

Findings

Employing practice-based, qualitative research methods, this Master’s thesis project gathered data through participant observations and semi-structured group interviews. Findings indicate that AURORA provided an engaging creative outlet for children to articulate their social bonds, facilitated spontaneous group collaboration, and allowed them to build creative metaphors between auroras and friendships while actively promoting physical play. Furthermore, the study offers insights into designing non-invasive interactive technologies for children within informal group environments, emphasizing the importance of centring children's perspectives throughout the design process.

Setup and Configuration

My assistant Raphael and I set up the project at the gym hall of the Helsinki German School.

Friendship Bracelets

As a reward for their participation, I made friendship bracelets of cotton yarn for the children.

Still Frames

Year

2024–2026

Type

Master's Thesis Project:
Interactive Experience