Teddy Roosevelt brought 'to life' with new augmented reality app
The Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center is one of four sites on Long Island where visitors can use an augmented reality app to learn about the former president's local connections. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Theodore Roosevelt, known affectionately as the “conservationist in chief,” was an avid outdoorsman, passionate about preserving the country’s natural beauty and resources.
And, now, he can tell you about it.
The new Theodore Roosevelt Augmented Reality (TRAR) app is available at four sites in Nassau and Suffolk counties, including two within the Town of Oyster Bay, where the 26th president is buried.
The augmented reality experience puts users face-to-face with a 3D electronic likeness of Roosevelt as he shares his connection to locations on Long Island. It was created with funding from a Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation grant as part of an initiative known as Digital Tapestry.
Augmented reality blends the physical world with computer-generated content through mediums such as phone cameras, projecting digital creations into the real world.
Visitors to the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center in Oyster Bay can scan a QR code to download the app, which works for Android and Apple phones and tablets.
Visitors can then use their device cameras to scan a stone bearing an image of Roosevelt's face on a trail behind the center and he’ll appear in augmented reality and share a story from his life.
That stone leads to four others, where scans prompt the image of Roosevelt to speak of his contributions to conservation, the establishment of the National Parks Service, his journey to Africa, his work to preserve birds and the story that led to the naming of the teddy bear.
“This is a new and interactive way to share information that's a lot more fun and user friendly than just viewing things and reading words,” said Kathryn D’Amico, the center's director.
A five-minute drive from the sanctuary, another augmented reality experience is available at Oyster Bay Railroad Museum.
There, visitors can scan decals featuring images of Roosevelt and his 3D electronic likeness will share stories about his connection to the historic rail station and its significance throughout his life and presidency, said Ann Balderston-Glynn, a museum board member.
“It brings him to life. It brings history to life for us,” Balderston-Glynn said.
The TRAR app, developed by augmented reality startup 360XR, also can be used at Montauk Historical Society and Sayville's Meadow Croft estate.
Other facets of the Digital Tapestry initiative, which is available at 11 Long Island historic sites and designed to enhance visitor engagement, showcase the American Revolution and African American culture with augmented reality presentations.
Theodore Roosevelt, known affectionately as the “conservationist in chief,” was an avid outdoorsman, passionate about preserving the country’s natural beauty and resources.
And, now, he can tell you about it.
The new Theodore Roosevelt Augmented Reality (TRAR) app is available at four sites in Nassau and Suffolk counties, including two within the Town of Oyster Bay, where the 26th president is buried.
The augmented reality experience puts users face-to-face with a 3D electronic likeness of Roosevelt as he shares his connection to locations on Long Island. It was created with funding from a Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation grant as part of an initiative known as Digital Tapestry.
Augmented reality blends the physical world with computer-generated content through mediums such as phone cameras, projecting digital creations into the real world.
Visitors to the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center in Oyster Bay can scan a QR code to download the app, which works for Android and Apple phones and tablets.
Visitors can then use their device cameras to scan a stone bearing an image of Roosevelt's face on a trail behind the center and he’ll appear in augmented reality and share a story from his life.
That stone leads to four others, where scans prompt the image of Roosevelt to speak of his contributions to conservation, the establishment of the National Parks Service, his journey to Africa, his work to preserve birds and the story that led to the naming of the teddy bear.
“This is a new and interactive way to share information that's a lot more fun and user friendly than just viewing things and reading words,” said Kathryn D’Amico, the center's director.
An augmented reality app that teaches people about Theodore Roosevelt by using a 3-D electronic likeness of the former president is now featured at four sites on Long Island, including here at Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
A five-minute drive from the sanctuary, another augmented reality experience is available at Oyster Bay Railroad Museum.
There, visitors can scan decals featuring images of Roosevelt and his 3D electronic likeness will share stories about his connection to the historic rail station and its significance throughout his life and presidency, said Ann Balderston-Glynn, a museum board member.
“It brings him to life. It brings history to life for us,” Balderston-Glynn said.
The TRAR app, developed by augmented reality startup 360XR, also can be used at Montauk Historical Society and Sayville's Meadow Croft estate.
Other facets of the Digital Tapestry initiative, which is available at 11 Long Island historic sites and designed to enhance visitor engagement, showcase the American Revolution and African American culture with augmented reality presentations.
Joseph Ostapiuk covers the Town of Oyster Bay and the City of Glen Cove. He joined Newsday in 2023 after spending more than six years at the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com.
