## Inspiration

Online shopping has been the norm for a while, but the COVID-19 pandemic has impelled even more businesses and customers alike to shift to the digital space. Unfortunately, it also accentuated the frustrations associated with online shopping. People often purchase items online, only to find out what they receive is not exactly what they want. AR is the perfect technology to bridge the gap between the digital and physical spaces; we wanted to apply that to tackle issues within online shopping to strengthen interconnection within e-commerce!

## What it does

scannAR allows its users to scan QR codes of e-commerce URLs, placing those items in front of where the user is standing. Users may also scan physical items to have them show up in AR. In either case, users may drag and drop anything that can be scanned or uploaded to the real world.

Now imagine the possibilities. Have technicians test if a component can fit into a small space, or small businesses send their products to people across the planet virtually, or teachers show off a cool concept with a QR code and the students' phones. Lastly, yes, you can finally play Minecraft or build yourself a fake house cause I know house searching in Kingston is hard.

## How we built it

We built the scannAR app using Unity with the Lean Touch and Big Furniture Pack assets. We used HTML, CSS, Javascript to create the business website for marketing purposes.

## Challenges we ran into

This project was our first time working with Unity and AR technology, so we spent many hours figuring their processes out. A particular challenge we encountered was manipulating objects on our screens the way we wanted to. With the time constraint, the scope of UI/UX design was limited, making some digital objects look less clean.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

Through several hours of video tutorials and some difficulty, we managed to build a functioning AR application through Unity, while designing a clean website to market it. We felt even prouder about making a wide stride towards tackling e-commerce issues that many of our friends often rant about.

## What we learned

In terms of technical skills, we learned how to utilize AR technology, specifically Unity. Initially, we had trouble moving objects on Unity; after completing this project, we have new Unity skills we can apply throughout our next hackathons and projects. We learned to use our existing front-end web development skills to augment our function with form.

## What's next for scannAR

In the near future, we aim to flesh out the premium subscription features to better cater to specific professions. We also plan on cleaning up the interface to launch scannAR on the app stores. After its release, it will be a constant cycle of marketing, partnerships with local businesses, and re-evaluating processes.
## What is 'Titans'?

VR gaming shouldn't just be a lonely, single-player experience. We believe that we can elevate the VR experience by integrating multiplayer interactions.

We imagined a mixed VR/AR experience where a single VR player's playing field can be manipulated by 'Titans' -- AR players who can plan out the VR world by placing specially designed tiles-- blocking the VR player from reaching the goal tile.

## How we built it

We had three streams of development/design to complete our project: the design, the VR experience, and the AR experience.

For design, we used Adobe Illustrator and Blender to create the assets that were used in this project. We had to be careful that our tile designs were recognizable by both human and AR standards, as the tiles would be used by the AR players to lay our the environment the VR players would be placed in. Additionally, we pursued a low-poly art style with our 3D models, in order to reduce design time in building intricate models and to complement the retro/pixel-style of our eventual AR environment tiles.

For building the VR side of the project, we selected to build a Unity VR application targeting Windows and Mac with the Oculus Rift. One of our most notable achievements here is a custom terrain tessellation and generation engine that mimics several environmental biomes represented in our game as well as integrating a multiplayer service powered by Google Cloud Platform.

The AR side of the project uses Google's ARCore and Google Cloud Anchors API to seamlessly stream anchors (the tiles used in our game) to other devices playing in the same area.

## Challenges we ran into

Hardware issues were one of the biggest time-drains in this project. Setting up all the programs-- Unity and its libraries, blender, etc...-- took up the initial hours following the brainstorming session. The biggest challenge was our Alienware MLH laptop resetting overnight. This was a frustrating moment for our team, as we were in the middle of testing our AR features such as testing the compatibility of our environment tiles.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of the consistent effort and style that went into the game design, from the physical environment tiles to the 3D models, we tried our best to create a pleasant-to-look at game style. Our game world generation is something we're also quite proud of. The fact that we were able to develop an immersive world that we can explore via VR is quite surreal. Additionally, we were able to accomplish some form of AR experience where the phone recognizes the environment tiles.

## What we learned

All of our teammates learned something new: multiplayer in unity, ARCore, Blender, etc... Most importantly we learned the various technical and planning challenges involved in AR/VR game development

## What's next for Titans AR/VR

We hope to eventually connect the AR portion and VR portion of the project together the way we envisioned: where AR players can manipulate the virutal world of the VR player.
## Inspiration

We wanted to create a new way to interact with the thousands of amazing shops that use Shopify.
![demo](https://res.cloudinary.com/devpost/image/fetch/s--AOJzynCD--/c_limit,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto:eco,w_900/http://i.imgur.com/0G1Pdea.jpg)

## What it does

Our technology can be implemented inside existing physical stores to help customers get more information about products they are looking at. What is even more interesting is that our concept can be implemented to ad spaces where customers can literally window shop! Just walk in front of an enhanced Shopify ad and voila, you have the product on the sellers store, ready to be ordered right there from wherever you are.

## How we built it

WalkThru is Android app built with the Altbeacon library. Our localisation algorithm allows the application to pull the Shopify page of a specific product when the consumer is in front of it.

![Shopify](https://res.cloudinary.com/devpost/image/fetch/s--Yj3u-mUq--/c_limit,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto:eco,w_900/http://i.imgur.com/biArh6r.jpg)
![Estimote](https://res.cloudinary.com/devpost/image/fetch/s--B-mjoWyJ--/c_limit,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto:eco,w_900/http://i.imgur.com/0M85Syt.jpg)
![Altbeacon](https://avatars2.githubusercontent.com/u/8183428?v=3&s=200)

## Challenges we ran into

Using the Estimote beacons in a crowded environment has it caveats because of interference problems.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

The localisation of the user is really quick so we can show a product page as soon as you get in front of it.
![WOW](https://res.cloudinary.com/devpost/image/fetch/s--HVZODc7O--/c_limit,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto:eco,w_900/http://i.giphy.com/xT77XWum9yH7zNkFW0.gif)

## What we learned

We learned how to use beacons in Android for localisation.

## What's next for WalkThru

WalkThru can be installed in current brick and mortar shops as well as ad panels all over town. Our next step would be to create a whole app for Shopify customers which lets them see what shops/ads are near them. We would also want to improve our localisation algorithm to 3D space so we can track exactly where a person is in a store. Some analytics could also be integrated in a Shopify app directly in the store admin page where a shop owner would be able to see how much time people spend in what parts of their stores. Our technology could help store owners increase their sells and optimise their stores.