Fighting Pandemics With Augmented Reality and Smart Sensing-Based Social Distancing

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Public Health
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Social distancing remains critical in the postpandemic era to control virus transmission and mitigate public health impacts.
• Augmented reality (AR) offers potential for visualizing social distancing but requires integration with external sensing for broader environmental awareness.
• Existing solutions lack real-time, context-aware social distancing support beyond the user's immediate vicinity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce DistAR, an Android application designed to enhance social distancing compliance.
• To integrate augmented reality (AR) with smart sensing for real-time social distancing assistance.
• To leverage on-device analysis of optical images and campus-wide crowdedness data.

Main Methods:

• Development of an Android application, DistAR, incorporating augmented reality (AR) features.
• Integration of smart sensing capabilities for environmental analysis, including optical image processing.
• Utilizing on-device analysis for real-time assessment of crowdedness and social distancing adherence.

Main Results:

• DistAR provides real-time visual guidance for social distancing using AR.
• The application combines user-centric AR with broader environmental sensing for enhanced situational awareness.
• Demonstrates a novel integration of AR and smart sensing for practical public health applications.

Conclusions:

• DistAR represents a pioneering effort in combining AR and smart sensing for real-time social distancing.
• The application offers a promising approach to support public health measures in shared spaces.
• Future work can expand the system's capabilities for broader pandemic preparedness and response.