Bringing Hands-On Chemistry Education to Life with the Sixth Sense

Abstract

Pulse6 is a groundbreaking approach to enhancing the virtual education experience through

the implementation of the sixth sense. Pulse6s next-generation chemistry set consists of a
set of trading cards constructed from laminated cardstock, except for a central cutout which
is replaced by a rectangular piece of transparency. By using powerful image recognition
technology, the Pulse6 application recognizes specially designed trading cards that
correspond to various entities (both molecules as well as potential energy sources), and
overlays them with a rich layer of digital information, including a 3-dimensional model that
can be manipulated by the user in real time. Virtual buttons will allow the user to toggle
between alternative views of the molecule under observation including ball-and-stick,
space-filling, and electronic potential surface models. Moreover, by overlaying the
appropriate combinations of molecular and energy source cards (specifically, their
transparency images), the user will be able to explore the dynamics of how molecules react
through 3-dimensional animations that can be moved around and rotated. Simple tweaks to
the application would also allow students to discover and/or create their own molecules,
print out new molecular cards, and use these cards in additional reaction simulations. Later
iterations of this technology could be incorporated with Google Glass and haptic technology
to enable more rich experiences. Overall, I strongly believe that this technology holds vast
potential in encouraging students not only to explore the field of chemistry, but also to
explore other scientific disciplines as well.
1

Introduction to the Sixth Sense

The human race has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to extract information
about the world around us. Whenever we encounter people, places, or things in our
immediate environment, we use our five natural senses to drive our analysis and decisionmaking processes. But arguably, the most useful information that we can use isnt naturally
perceivable with our five senses. Rather, the most useful information we can leverage to our
advantage consists of all of the data, information, and knowledge that mankind has
accumulated over all of digital history.
Even as you read this submission, our society is undergoing a fundamental paradigm shift
that is changing the way we perceive and interact with the world around us. Technology has
brought us to the point where nearly every single person in the developed world can afford
to carry a powerful computer in his pocket, bringing us closer to the millions of digital data
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points stored on the World Wide Web. The goal of Pulse6 is to enhance the educational
experience by constructing an even more fluid interface between these digital and physical
worlds a phenomenon I like to call the sixth sense.
2

Motivation for the Pulse6 Chemistry Set Prototype

While considering how to construct the chemistry set of the 21st century, I thought seriously
about where the classical chemistry sets succeeded and where they came short of
expectations. Principally, my investigations and interviews brought me to realize that the
chemistry set was so successful in the previous century because it provided students the
opportunity to translate knowledge-building into a hands-on experience. By catering to the
childs innate inclination towards tinkering, the chemistry set quickly gained popularity and
acclaim among students and educators alike.
However, I also learned that the old chemistry sets had a number of shortcomings. Probably
the most significant of these was the series of federal regulations that gradually banned
many of the substances included in the traditional chemistry set. Soon, as SciShow stated
in a recent YouTube episode, the chemistry sets were further diluted until anything that
couldnt be safely ingested by the gallon was removed The consumer protection laws of
the 60s and 70s watered down the chemistry set to the point where today, they are basically
just water.
But on top of that, the traditional chemistry set fails to keep up with rate at which education
has been accelerating in the 21st century. For example, chemistry sets may provide the
student with a rudimentary understanding of how a reaction works, but dont really provide
an appreciable understanding of molecular structure and the dynamics of how a reaction
proceeds. The educational value of a set is also ultimately limited by how much can fit in the
chemistry sets corresponding handbook and by the chemicals that are included.
So as I set out to reimagine the chemistry set, I had all of these design criteria in mind. I
wanted to provide a hands-on experience, appealing to the same sentiments that made the
chemistry sets of the olden days such a spectacular success. Yet at the same time, I
wanted to be able to give students a deep molecular understanding of chemistry that far
surpassed what was possible with a traditional chemistry set. I wanted to create an
experience that scaled with the education of the user an unlimited source of learning
fueled by all of the collective knowledge stored on the internet. And I definitely didnt want
federal regulations to hamper the ability of students to satisfy their intellectual curiosity.
3

How Does the Pulse6 Chemistry Set Work?

At first glance, the Pulse6 chemistry set looks just like your run-of-the mill deck of trading
cards. Each card is constructed of laminated cardstock, except for a central cutout which is
replaced by a rectangular piece of transparency. This transparency is imprinted with a
unique image, which specifically corresponds to the entity the card represents. Some cards
represent molecules while others represent energy sources (such as UV light, heat, or
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electricity). However, contrary to potential first impressions, the Pulse6 chemistry set is
much, much more than a set of trading cards. In fact, as the instruction manual in the
package would indicate, overlaid on top of the rather mundane-looking cards is a layer of
digital information, invisible to the naked eye, but consisting of a rich educational experience
waiting to be unlocked.
In order to access this hidden digital content, the student would have to download the
Pulse6 chemistry set app on his smartphone or tablet. At this point in the prototyping
process, I have only had the chance to develop the application for devices running on the
Android OS, although I definitely plan to support both the iOS and Windows 8 mobile
platforms before the first iteration of the product is released (this process should be greatly
simplified because Im developing the app in Unitys flexible C# development environment).
The app uses a powerful extension of Qualcomms Vuforia SDK in order to recognize the
image on a cards transparency (which would be placed on a white table-top for optimal
image recognition a mini lab bench would be provided with the set), and construct a 3dimesional model of the molecule on top of the card itself. Even if the card were translated
or rotated in space, the 3-dimensional model would move and rotate with the card. This
would allow the student to manipulate the card in the physical world in order to manipulate
the model in the digital dimension experienced via the Pulse6 application.
Though not yet completely accomplished in the current prototype, the first iteration of the
product would also include virtual buttons that would allow the student to access more
information about the molecule under observation or toggle between ball-and-stick, spacefilling, and electronic potential surface representations. At this point, I have been able to
determine when a virtual button has been pushed by detecting whether the location
assumed by the virtual button has been obstructed from the cameras view. Currently, I am
working on translating the detection of such an obstruction event to the manipulation of the
3-dimensional model or the displaying of additional information from a chemical database.
Finally, the first iteration of the prototype would enable a student to explore the reactions
various molecules can undergo through a clever use of the transparency. For example, lets
say the student wanted to see what might happen if he reacted oxygen and water in the
presence of an intense energy source. By overlapping the three cards that correspond to
these three entities, the transparencies would overlay upon each other to generate a new
image, which our image recognition technology would be able to detect. The application
would then play an appropriate animation demonstrating how these molecules react on top
of the card itself, which the user would be able to manipulate in 3-dimensional space. As of
now, Ive been able to detect the new image generated by overlapping multiple cards and
display a 3-dimensional model of the end product. As one of my immediate next steps, Ill
be working on figuring out a way to render an animation in the apps interface instead of
merely rendering the end product of the reaction being investigated.
Overall, the Pulse6 paradigm for exploring chemistry provides opportunities never before
possible. By allowing students to interact with chemical structure and reaction dynamics in
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3-dimensional space, Pulse6 creates a compelling educational experience that is bound to

have students hooked.
4

Moving from Prototype to Fully-Functional Product

Because of Pulse6s heavy reliance on digital technology, aggressively pushing Pulse6 out
of the prototype phase would likely require less capital than most other options (which might
include material costs, manufacturing costs, etc.). Potential costs would include a
subscription to the full Unity platform ($100 a month), developer fees for the various mobile
application stores ($20 a month), as well as cloud space in order store image targets, 3dimensional models and animations, as well as additional information about molecules that
students may want to access ($500 a month). We could possibly reduce the long-term cost
of developing Pulse6 by investing in in-house data storage rather than relying on cloud
storage. Such solutions might have higher upfront costs, but would eliminate the need to
regularly pay a third party. In any case, these requirements for capital would likely exceed
my personal budget, but could potentially be met by seeking outside funding.
Frankly, although I was able to assemble a decent workflow to generate 3-dimensional
models from scratch and be able to work with a small number of transparency image
targets, the quality of Pulse6s first iteration would be much higher if I were able to enlist
some additional assistance. On the design side, it would be optimal to have a team of UI/UX
and graphics experts to design an elegant user-friendly interface and generate extremely
high quality 3-dimesional models at a much faster rate than I can. On the computer science
side, although I am a comfortable programmer, I am far from an expert. I am currently
studying computer science as a freshman at MIT, but I have little experience building robust
and scalable software. Ive been teaching myself some of these principles in the process of
building the Pulse6 prototype, but an expert would more effectively navigate around
common pitfalls.
In terms of a timeline, if I were able to assemble a committed team and obtained the
necessary capital, I strongly believe that we would be able to put out a first iteration within a
years time. We could begin distribution via our website and perhaps try to move our
product into stores specializing in educational materials for students soon after. However,
Id love to see Pulse6 grow beyond these minimal expectations. Within at most two years
time, Pulse6 should hit big box retailers in order to reach as many people as quickly as
possible.
5

Future Vision

Now, once Pulse6 accomplishes all these goals, theres still one big question left: What
comes next?
I think the answer to this question really boils down to better achieving the goals we set out
to meet at the very beginning of this discussion. In particular, one design criterion that I

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wanted to realize was an educational experience that scaled with the experience of the
user, unlike the exhaustible chemistry sets of the past.
One way to achieve this is to allow students to create their own cards based on the
molecules they discover. On one hand, this could include molecules that students create
through the reactions they simulate in the application, encouraging students to be even
more creative with the molecules provided to them in the basic set. On the other hand, we
could also implement a text recognition function (I have previously played around with
algorithms that may be able to accomplish this task) that would allow students to add
molecules they encounter in their everyday exploration (from books, nutrition labels,
common household supplies, etc). This would further encourage students to engage the
chemistry that surrounds them in their daily lives. In order to facilitate the card creation
process, later iterations of the Pulse6 chemistry set could integrate with a web platform that
allows students to store their new molecules online. Students would then be able to print
their cards using additional printing templates, supplied with their chemistry set. Such an
update would allow students to vastly expand their repertoire of molecules beyond what is
provided in the box.
Looking even farther into the future, I see Pulse6 building an even more fluid interface
between the physical and digital worlds. By integrating into technologies such as Google
Glass, we could eliminate the need to use ones hands to hold up a mobile device to access
the digital layer. This would open up the opportunity for the inclusion of haptic technology,
which would add a tactile dimension to the virtual education experience. If Google Glass
and haptic technology can successfully take off, more realistic simulation might even enable
us to recreate the experience of handling liquids, pipettes, and glassware as if the user was
in a fully functional chemistry lab, except augmented with molecular information that would
normally only be accessible via a computer. Getting to this point would likely take many
years of research and development, but I am strongly confident that it is a standard that
Pulse6 can achieve within the next decade, not only in chemistry education, but also in all of
the other areas of scientific study.

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