Virtuali-Tee by Curiscope

Curiscope is a multi-award winning app is suitable for ages 6 and above and is available in 10 languages. The augmented reality T-shirt comes in a range of sizes for both children and adults and arrives in a beautifully presented box. The T-shirt is machine washable and is 100% pure cotton. The box includes the relevant information to get you started as well as links to the website, app purchase and information regarding device compatibility. It is noted that the app works only in conjunction with the augmented reality T-shirt.

Once the app has been downloaded via the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play for Android the user is shown a simple ‘Home Screen’ with several options. The app will scan to find the required T-Shirt or the user can follow the link at the bottom to purchase the T-Shirt from the developers website.

The ‘Settings’ option in the top left offers the user several options such as volume level, restoring purchases, turning subtitles on and off, switching languages (10 options), links to education lessons plans and feedback. We particularly like the link to the educational resources provided by the developers. These include detailed lesson plans on the digestive system, circulatory system, Skeletal system and Bonus resources. All of these lesson plans include supporting PowerPoints, quizzes, learning charts, activities and so much more. The developers can be congratulated on the quality of these resources and the support they provide for teachers and parents.

The ‘Home screen’ provides a ‘heartbeat icon’ where the user can track their heartbeat rate by placing their finger over the camera. The interface is easy to follow and students will love the beating heart graphics and heartbeat monitor. The application requires access to the device’s camera so the T-Shirt can be scanned. There is also a ‘selfie’ mode where the user can reverse the camera to view the application whilst wearing the t-shirt themselves, ideal for independent learning. The application also supports Google Cardboard or Mattel View-Master but also works outside of a headset.

Once the app has found and scanned the centre of the T-shirt this is where the magic begins.

The device will display a virtual body focusing on 5 main areas; the skeleton, the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the digestive system and the urinary system. The graphics and virtual interface are truly stunning, intuitive and easy to operate.

The ‘Doctor commentary’ (Hans Glover) icon at the bottom of the screen talks the user through each system in great detail. We found this very informative and extremely useful, however, we felt that we wanted to dive deeper into the parts that were labelled using the ‘Information icon’ or to have access to further commentary notes about each part.

The commentary is very engaging in explaining each system in detail. The ‘magnify icon’ allows the user to explore further into certain organs, such as the heart , labelling further components seamlessly and revealing more internal detail.

Some sections also provide a ‘360-degree VR icon’ where the user is submerged into a component of the human body such as being inside a blood vessel, the intestines and the lungs. Once again, the commentary here is fantastic and students will love the 360-degree virtual reality view as they move the camera for a truly immersive experience.

Each system is easy to navigate supported by clear labels and realistic graphics. The developers can be commended for how seamless and stable the augmented reality is. 

We can see this application being used in many different scenarios. Classroom teachers will love the engaging, hands-on experience this app will provide for their students. Photos can be taken of the areas explored, shared and transferred into exercise books for labelling and note-taking. The application will encourage learning in groups as well as independent learning in selfie mode. The teacher may also use the mirror mode function to display the application on a larger screen to the class. The developers may consider displaying the T-Shirts VR code onto a display card that can be scanned by a phone that is standing on a flat surface. This may allow students to view the VR experience as well as taking notes at the same time.

Parents and children alike will love exploring this app at home using the T-shirt and VR experience as an engaging learning experience for the whole family to share.

There are many augmented reality apps available and many disappoint on so many levels, however, Curiscope is by far one of the best augmented reality apps we have seen.

The level of engagement and educational value of this software cannot be underestimated. VR augmented applications sometimes lose their impact due to the complexity of the interface and the stability of the experience, however, this application works seamlessly and the simple menu system makes it easy to navigate and a truly wonderful educational experience. Curiscope app comes highly recommended by The Educational App Store.