Rochester Spirit is an AR-powered campus quest for prospective students at the University of Rochester. It turns traditional tours into an interactive, playful experience where students explore campus with a live guide, scan posters to reveal AR characters, complete mini-games and quizzes, and learn about UR’s culture, history, and traditions.
Students follow a tour guide and scan UR-themed posters around campus. Scanning a poster spawns a 3D AR character who delivers fun facts, shows media, and challenges students with interactive tasks. Interactions earn points; a final quiz determines the winner.
- Augmented Reality — 3D characters appear when scanning posters.
- Gamified Learning — Points, mini-games, and quizzes encourage engagement.
- Immersive Storytelling — Characters are inspired by campus symbols, landmarks, and traditions.
- Social Interaction — Teams discuss findings and collaborate between stops.
- Rewards — Top scorer receives University of Rochester merchandise.
- Asahel the Scholar — Explains Meliora and its origins.
- Azariah the Dandelion Spirit — Shares the dandelion symbolism.
- Rocky the Yellowjacket — Talks athletics and mascot history.
- Rush Rhees Librarian Ghost — Library history and archives trivia.
- Clock Tower Guardian — Tower superstitions and acorn tradition.
- Eastman/Wilson Day Volunteers — Community service traditions.
- Guided Exploration: Live student guide leads groups across campus.
- Scan Posters: Point device camera at posters to spawn AR characters.
- AR Interaction: Characters present content, mini-games, and questions.
- Points & Gamification: Interactions and mini-games award points.
- Final Quiz: A short quiz and combined score determine the winner.
- Convert passive tours into interactive adventures.
- Use AR and gamification to teach campus landmarks, culture, and traditions.
- Strengthen school spirit — Meliora — through shared discovery.