Teaching Artificial Intelligence using Augmented Reality

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has pervasively penetrated every aspect of our life, impacting the way society operates in general [1]. Such an emphasis on this technology highlights the importance that the general public clearly comprehend and appreciate how AI works and what it is about. Such awareness needs to start from a young age as children constitute tomorrow’s society and are required to be fully aware of what AI is and how it can render their lives easier [2], [3]. This Final Year Project tackles the problem of teaching children Artificial Intelligence by providing them with a digital tool to help them do so. This digital tool is an Android application which uses Augmented Reality (AR), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and smart Android phones or tablets with cameras. The application is in the form of a game in which children need to teach an Augmented Reality robot how to classify different colours by providing images to train the Convolutional Neural Network. The application provides step-by-step instructions on what needs to be done by the user as well as simple explanations on the Machine Learning concepts being used. The gamified system is intended to encourage children to take interest in what they are learning [4]. The interface of the application was designed using Unity, whilst the CNN was designed using Python. The study discusses how the application transfers data between the Unity interface, which uses C and the CNN, written in Python, through the means of a Google Web API. The expected outcome of this Final Year Project is to provide a fun way for children to learn important concepts of Machine Learning, a very important field in Artificial Intelligence. This method is more engaging and makes the topic easier to understand than if it were taught using traditional teaching methods [5]. The effectiveness of the application will be evaluated by comparing the knowledge gained after watching a video and using the application. Both the video and application contain the same information and the evaluation questions are the same.