Covid Reflections
AR public health installation with AI body tracking
2022
$10,000 grant — UF Center for Arts in Medicine
Arts for UF Vaccine Confidence Program
Published at ACM VRST 2022
Covid Reflections is a public health communications installation that uses augmented reality with AI LiDAR body tracking to engage audiences in short health-oriented experiences. The installation tracks the user’s body and displays a virtual avatar mirroring their movements on a large display. As users interact, their avatar experiences progressively severe COVID-19 symptoms—from contraction to hospitalization.
The avatar’s transparent body displays the impact of COVID-19 on virtual internal organs anchored to the real-world position of the user’s organs, allowing people to visualize symptoms like pneumonia, inflammation, and respiratory infection that are impossible to directly observe in real life. The experience concludes with a motion-based FAQ interface providing information about COVID-19 and vaccinations.
We designed the installation for easy deployment anywhere using readily available materials—just an iPhone 13 providing HDMI output to a large TV. The full experience lasts approximately 3 minutes, allowing passersby to quickly engage in public spaces.
The project was funded by the Arts for UF Vaccine Confidence Program through UF’s Center for Arts in Medicine. We deployed at multiple campus locations including the Reitz Union and Plaza of the Americas, often alongside UF Health mobile vaccination clinics. The work was presented at the UF AI Symposium and Convergence Student Showcase before being published at ACM VRST 2022.
Published at ACM VRST 2022 (28th ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology).
Built with Ines Said, Erica Del Hagen, and Amelia Winger-Bearskin.
key features
- AI LiDAR body tracking displaying virtual avatar mirroring user movements
- Visualization of COVID-19 symptoms on transparent avatar body showing internal organs
- Motion-based FAQ interface for vaccine information
- Portable deployment using iPhone 13 and large display
- ~3 minute experience designed for public spaces
technical details
Built in Unity with Unity MARS for body tracking. Deployed on iPhone 13 using LiDAR. Custom models, shaders, particle effects, and animations. HDMI output to large vertically mounted display. Developed in partnership with UF Center for Arts in Medicine.