Immersive Airfoil Student Laboratory: Augmented Reality Application with Real-Time Measurement Data Access

This contribution presents an Augmented Reality (AR) application that is used to visualize otherwise invisible streamlines, velocity distribution and stalls on a NACA 4415 airfoil. The aim is the virtual extension of an existing laboratory experiment in a wind tunnel as well as the further possibility to use the application as a portable stand-alone mobile app without a wind tunnel e.g. for use at home. The Unreal Engine 5 AR framework is utilized as the basis for programming and a database with three-dimensional streamlines from precalculated three-dimensional CFD simulations with Ansys® CFX is integrated. In the simulations, the wind speed and the angle of attack of the airfoil are the variation parameters investigated. Based on QR code tracking, the AR application can be used for Android smartphones with ARCore. Furthermore, a method is presented to access real-time measurement data from a wind speed sensor while using the application. The structure of the Arduino microcontroller used in this context as well as the data transmission via WiFi will be discussed. The measured wind speed as well as the airfoils angle of attack are utilized as interactive parameters between experiment and AR app.