chARpack: Advancing Chemical Research with Augmented Reality

July 9, 2024

AR package developed by VISUS researchers improves interaction with molecular structures

Authored by Tobias Rau from both the Institute for Theoretical Chemistry and the Visualization Research Center (VISUS)Andreas Köhn from the Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, and Michael Sedlmair (also from VISUS), a new study, titled "chARpack: The Chemistry Augmented Reality Package" has recently been published in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling. Within the framework of the study, the researchers developed the innovative augmented reality (AR) package chARpak, which is designed to enhance chemical modeling. The interdisciplinary collaboration between the researchers resulted from their affiliation with the Cluster of Excellence EXC 2075 "Data-Integrated Simulation Science" and the Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science (SimTech).

A visualization created as part of the study has been selected as the cover of the journal, highlighting the aesthetic and functional capabilities of the technology

The study demonstrates how chARpack uses AR head-mounted displays (HMDs) to provide a seamless transition between traditional 2D desktop setups and immersive 3D environments. This hybrid setup improves the visualization and interaction with molecular structures, which is essential for computational chemists.

For more details about the study and the implications for future research, see SimTech’s news article and find the original publication here.

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