TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — A team of students at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe has created an escape room you can hold in the palm of your hand. Escape Room AR uses augmented reality technology, creating digital objects that can be seen through your smartphone, as popping up in the real world. “It really takes traditional escape rooms and puts them in the homes of the players,” said Lindsey Boggs, the team lead on the project.
Players print out shapes on paper. The phone senses those shapes and displays virtual objects. Players can then interact with the objects, solving puzzles in their attempt to make their way out of the escape room. “When you play the game, it’s actually really cool to do all the puzzles and figure out,” said Ruth Luis, a UAT student who worked on art for the project. “Because it’s not all just handed to you, but it’s also intuitive enough that you can play through it all on your own.”