Spatial computing without the headset.

A handheld projector that turns the room into the interface, no headset needed. It began as a handheld planetarium for children.

Master’s thesis, IIT Guwahati, 2025

Headsets isolate the people wearing them.

Headsets are heavy, run hot and cut you off from the room, and most users report headaches, nausea or dizziness.

Children love space but rarely see it.

48permanent planetariums in India
1.4billionpeople
82%of urban students surveyed had never clearly seen the stars from home

From a planetarium in the hand to a new device.

8schools and 14 science classes observed
127students, with 18 teachers and 7 administrators
4handheld concepts, compared in a weighted matrix
01Four concepts, from a pistol grip to a cylindrical telescope
02Volumetric studies in expanded polystyrene
033D-printed handle variants
04Breadboarding the sensors
05Light source, optics and LCD, packaged
06A 3D-printed housing in the hand

The digital layer, moved from the eyes to the hand.

It turns the room into the interface.

It tracks where it points, with a 9-axis IMU, an NIR camera and computer vision, and projects onto any surface.

Projected: the Adaptive OS hub in day mode, drawn after the board.

Onto any surface.

Choose a module and the interface inverts to true black: only the content is lit.

  1. 01EducationThe night sky for a classroom
  2. 02MedicalVeins on a hand
  3. 03IndustrySteps on a machine
  4. 04LogisticsStock in a warehouse

Form development was a dialogue between internal components and external ergonomics, solving for the heat of the projection unit.

One form, six finishes.

Colour, material and finish break the barrier between high tech and human comfort: an object that invites touch.

  1. Graphite
  2. Terrazzo and walnut
  3. Forged carbon
  4. Marble and oak
  5. Lilac clear
  6. Polar white

Two displays against visual fatigue.

Information is split between the far-field projection and a near-field instrument cluster, so the eye keeps shifting focal depth instead of holding one.

Tested in real-world light.

45children aged 8–14 in usability tests
40%gain in understanding spatial concepts, pre- to post-test

A working rig on a Raspberry Pi 4, an ESP32 and a 9-axis IMU, in a 3D-printed chassis.

01Projection contrast on skin
02The grip, floor to ceiling
03Object detection latency

Reality, made interactive.

RoleUX and hardware designer
ElectronicsRaspberry Pi 4, ESP32, 9-axis IMU, NIR camera
Tools
Raspberry PiArduinoKStars3D printingCAD
ThesisMaster’s thesis, IIT Guwahati, supervised by Dr. Pankaj Upadhyay
Year2025
MethodDesign Thinking
  1. Empathise
  2. Define
  3. Ideate
  4. Prototype
  5. Test
Projected Reality
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Boards from the project

How it was designed

Design Thinking

  1. Empathise

    8 schools and 14 science classes observed; 127 students, 18 teachers and 7 administrators; 3 focus groups, 4 workshops.

  2. Define

    Children love space but rarely see it: 48 planetariums for 1.4 billion people, and the sky taught in flat diagrams.

  3. Ideate

    Four handheld concepts, from a pistol grip to a cylindrical telescope, compared in a weighted matrix.

  4. Prototype

    Cardboard and foam, then 3D-printed housings and handles, then a working rig on a Raspberry Pi 4, an ESP32 and a 9-axis IMU.

  5. Test

    Usability with 45 children aged 8–14; pre- and post-tests showed a 40% gain in understanding spatial concepts.