* Martin.Hachet@inria.fr
AMI : Augmented Michelson Interferometer
David Furióa, Martin Hachet*b, Jean-Paul Guilleta, Bruno Bousqueta, Stéphanie Fleckc, Patrick
Reutera, Lionel Canionia
aUniversité de Bordeaux, 351 cours de la Liberation, F – 33405 Talence, France
bInria – Potioc, 200 av. De la vieille tour, F – 33405 Talence, France
cUniversité de Lorraine – ESPE & PErSEUs (EA 7312) Île du Saulcy, CS 60228, F - 57045 Metz cedex 01, France
ABSTRACT
Experiments in optics are essential for learning and understanding physical phenomena. The problem with these
experiments is that they are generally time consuming for both their construction and their maintenance, potentially
dangerous through the use of laser sources, and often expensive due to high technology optical components.
We propose to simulate such experiments by way of hybrid systems that exploit both spatial augmented reality and
tangible interaction. In particular, we focus on one of the most popular optical experiments: the Michelson
interferometer. In our approach, we target a highly interactive system where students are able to interact in real time with
the Augmented Michelson Interferometer (AMI) to observe, test hypotheses and then to enhance their comprehension.
Compared to a fully digital simulation, we are investigating an approach that benefits from both physical and virtual
elements, and where the students experiment by manipulating 3D-printed physical replicas of optical components (e.g.
lenses and mirrors).
Our objective is twofold. First, we want to ensure that the students will learn with our simulator the same concepts and
skills that they learn with traditional methods. Second, we hypothesis that such a system opens new opportunities to
teach optics in a way that was not possible before, by manipulating concepts beyond the limits of observable physical
phenomena.
To reach this goal, we have built a complementary team composed of experts in the field of optics, human-computer
interaction, computer grap