‘Bring the digital into your world': U of R students share augmented reality projects
Created by U of R students, the AR design allows people to view digital illustrations in their current environment by scanning a QR code.
'Augmented reality is like Pokémon Go. That's one of the more common examples that people tend to understand,' explained Evie Johnny Ruddy, assistant professor of Creative Technologies and Design at the U of R.
'Whereas with VR, you put a headset on and you're completely in the digital world, AR allows you to bring the digital into your world. It looks like the digital would be in this space with us.'
Five different projects were showcased, including The Eternal Walking Path, Nature Hunt, Poetry Pathway, Escape the Cabin, and the Absence of Space.
Shelby Kerbs, creative technologist of Nature Hunt, said her project focuses on connecting nature to urban areas.
'It's a scavenger hunt where you're going to find basically little snow piles around. Each time you click on one, in your AR experience, you're going to get a Saskatchewan perennial plant that pops up and you're going to learn about it,' she said.
Augmented reality
University of Regina (U of R) students are sharing their augmented reality (AR) projects with families at the Saskatchewan Science Centre. (Sierra D'Souza Butts/CTV News)
Based on her passion for plants, Kerbs said the project was an opportunity to share her interest with others.
'I did a focus on plants specifically for my own personal interest. I've been a garden centre worker for a long time and I have always been interested in plants,' she expressed.
'….I was trying to make a scavenger hunt in the sense that you're trying to find plants in urban spaces specifically like Victoria Park, downtown Regina. You're going to try and find plants [in the city] instead of just seeing always grass and trees.'
Students being able to share their projects with the public was part of the 'experiential learning component' to the Creative Technologies and Design class.
Despite being similar to VR, Ruddy shared the key differences, stating augmented experiences help provide a visual realistic point of view.
'I love AR because you can change your environment with digital artworks and content. You can bring it into your own space, and it looks like it's in the space with you,' Ruddy said.
'It can change the way you see the world around you. It can be really immersive, just as immersive as VR. I hope people try out the projects. I hope that they find them enjoyable and exciting and that they gain a better understanding of what AR is.'
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Condensed Consolidated Interim Statements of Cash Flows (In U.S. dollars) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Cash provided by (used in): Operating activities: Net income (loss) ($1,792,178) $423,098 ($4,207,687) ($561,495) Items not involving cash: Depreciation and amortization 4,830,349 4,500,984 9,253,924 9,065,612 Net interest and financing expense 815,644 1,074,882 1,563,462 2,237,814 Gain on sale of assets (2,601) (1,098) (2,941) (4,718) Gain on sale of investments — — — (16,398) Unrealized loss (gain) in derivative instruments (138,557) 19,035 (188,208) 74,703 Unrealized other gain (26,453) — — — Income tax expense (recovery) (935,364) 555,613 (1,389,336) 431,294 Share-based compensation (124,142) 367,575 1,127,851 788,816 2,626,698 6,940,089 6,157,065 12,015,628 Change in non-cash operating assets and liabilities 4,792,347 414,915 5,027,900 1,858,879 Interest paid (690,393) (1,070,476) (1,414,940) (2,233,328) Income taxes received (paid) (287,300) (119,557) (362,330) 257,529 6,441,352 6,164,971 9,407,695 11,898,708 Financing activities: Repayment of term loan — (625,000) — (1,250,000) Proceeds from issuance of revolving loan 3,000,000 — 6,000,000 — Repayment of revolving loan — (5,875,000) — (8,250,000) Cash settlement for vested RSUs (119,753) — (119,753) — Repurchase of share capital for cancellation (1,845,070) (435,859) (1,845,070) (669,085) Lease payments (232,372) (340,661) (555,651) (701,643) Proceeds from sublease 138,002 147,878 278,942 297,956 940,807 (7,128,642) 3,758,468 (10,572,772) Investing activities: Additions to property and equipment and intangible assets (268,712) (399,007) (714,654) (833,618) Proceeds from sale of assets 2,601 1,967 2,941 6,081 Proceeds from sale of investments — — — 16,398 Acquisitions (4,038,028) (200,178) (9,494,430) (200,178) (4,304,139) (597,218) (10,206,143) (1,011,317) Increase (decrease) in cash 3,078,020 (1,560,889) 2,960,020 314,619 Cash, beginning of period 5,014,293 7,908,036 5,189,315 6,015,184 Change in restricted cash balances (9,052) (3,287) (5,723) 979 Effect of movement of exchange rates on cash and restricted cash held 60,351 (22,881) — (9,803) Cash, end of period $8,143,612 $6,320,979 $8,143,612 $6,320,979 Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content For further information Investor and media inquiries:
CTV News
an hour ago
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‘All we wanted to do was to bring joy to people's lives'—Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay, N.S., sprinkle joy to the community
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And they discover the houses, and they look inside, and they see what's going on, and they talk about the fairies and where the fairies are and where they live and what they're doing and what they can do.' Creating a magical land of imagination was the main goal, for those young and old. 'You find them also wandering through and looking at the houses. I think it brings back their childhood memories, just like mine were. My mother, who was Scottish, encouraged me to believe in the fairies and the little people,' explained Cocks. 'And I think this is what happens to adults who step back into their childhood again. For a few hours.' Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay, N.S., sprinkle joy to community. (Brianne Foley/CTV News) Something the Mayor of Mahone Bay doubled down on. 'Oh, people are really excited about it. People are glad to see families, children, adults, I mean, adults are enjoying this as much as children,' said Mayor Suzanne Lohnes-Croft. 'But it's really lovely to have, you know, families together going out and you hear the excitement.' When the women in charge approached the town, it was January, and things were up and running by June. 'I'm a childhood educator, so I really believe in a lot of make believe and play and whatnot for children and using your imagination and creativity,' said Lohnes-Croft. 'And these women are, really the, the root of creativity in Mahone Bay.' Other people thought this was a really wonderful idea and I guess sparked the sense of imagination,' said Cocks of their initial blueprint. 'But then I also do believe that if you want to get something done, give it to a woman. If you want to get something done quickly, give it to a busy woman. So, we had five very busy woman.' Cocks said that her dining room table turned into a faerie creation zone, with an emphasis on the environment for the houses. 'We wanted the houses made from natural materials, recycled materials, repurposed, or reused. So, when you go around, you'll see a combination of some of them are made entirely out of wood and moss and lichens, others have been made out of old enamel coffee pots that are no longer in use have now been converted into faerie houses,' she laughed. 'That was our goal that they all had to be handmade, that they all had to be made out of, natural reused materials and no plastics involved.' From the books in the library to the Adirondack chairs, for the public the beauty is in the details of these tiny houses. But for Cocks, the beauty lies in the imagination. 'I was in the garden one day doing some repair work, and a family came through and there was a three-year-old boy there who could not stop looking into one of the houses,' she explained. 'He stopped and asked me questions about the fairies and how were they able to do this and it was so delightful for me to be able to talk to him in this imaginary world, this imaginary world of fairies, where they can do and accomplish anything and to watch this come alive on this child's face, where he stepped into this area of disbelief or belief and went off into this other world.' 'He continued to walk around the trail in absolute awe of every single little thing he saw.' Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay, N.S., sprinkle joy to community. (Brianne Foley/CTV News) With the ban on the woods, Cocks said now was the time some added belief was needed. 'This a difficult time for everybody, which was a big part of the reason why we wanted to do this, because we wanted to create this sense of joy.' 'But if you can step back a few a little bit and look into the eyes of a child, or look into to your own memories, and go back to those days when you when things were just so astoundingly amazing that you have this sense of awe about them and there is a tremendous amount of good in this world.' Inspiring people to add to the faeries or create their own. 'I made little faerie places in my own yard, and we hope that people will take that upon themselves,' said the mayor. 'It's so simple to just make a little door and fasten it to a tree and put some moss around it and so I've had fun with my granddaughters. They like helping me to decorate and take ownership of some fairy houses.' As for the survival of the faeries, well it looks like they will make it through the winter and beyond. 'The trail is hopefully expanding. There's sort of like a three-year plan, I think, for them to extend it, extend it to other streets in Mahone Bay as well, so it will become bigger,' said Lohnes-Croft. That is if the wildlife leaves them alone. 'The people that come through here are very respectful of people's properties. They're very respectful of the fairies,' said Cocks. 'And it just does nothing but bring happiness. The only difficulty that we've had is the with the squirrels. I don't know why they want to sit on our Adirondack chairs, but they're too heavy for them and they keep on smashing them.' Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay, N.S., sprinkle joy to community. (Brianne Foley/CTV News) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
