As stores increasingly move their offerings online, the need for realistic digital objects — say, augmented reality shoes you can see on your feet at home — is increasing, while creating the opportunity for highly detailed 3D models for use in other settings. That’s the concept behind SeekXR‘s announcement today of Seek Education: The company is leveraging the resources it developed for app-free AR ecommerce to aid teachers and students, providing access to 3D models that can be viewed using common devices.
Initially, Seek Education will focus on K-12 students with six specific topics: anatomy, animals, art, biology, history, and physical science. Once prompted by teachers to access a personalized dashboard, students will be able to interact with 3D models such as DNA strands, the Sphinx, or a human body, using a device’s screen and rear camera as a lens to see and move around the AR objects in a real physical space.
SeekXR expects that traditional schools and home learning environments will both benefit from the service, which could help bring glasses-free AR further into the mainstream. The models can help visual learners stay engaged with complex subject matter, reducing their focus on rote memorization of facts while increasing sensory memory of observative details.
“By leveraging SeekXR’s core cross-platform technology and applying it to a new market, we’re able to make educational AR experiences available to everyone on any device,” CEO Jon Cheney explained. The service won’t require a headset or platform-specific app, enabling teachers and students to access the 3D assets via a web interface.
While Seek Education looks best on a tablet or smartphone, it can also display the 3D models on a regular computer screen. Additionally, QR codes can be printed out and placed on real-world objects to make the digital models appear — something physical classrooms could do as an alternative to purchasing physical models.
Starting today, Seek Education access is available for free through the end of June, after which the platform will be offered on a $3.99/user or $19.99/classroom monthly subscription basis. School-wide pricing will also be available through facility-specific quotes. SeekXR expects to support university-level services “in the near future” and will let 3D model creators publish to the platform, generating income from each model view.
