Bills + Coins: Discovering the World’s Currencies

CLIENT

Hewlett-Packard (HP)

LOCATION

Ideum created the Bills + Coins: Discovering the World’s Currency application for Sprout by HP, an innovative technology with a vertical touch screen, horizontal touch mat, multiple cameras, and a projector. Ideum designed and developed this innovative mixed reality application, including all of its interdisciplinary educational content.

With the built-in scanning function on the Sprout by HP, users can scan their own pocket change to learn about money and the countries from which it originates. The app uses object recognition to identify the currency and then initiates an experience in which users learn about that currency’s history, compare it to other global currencies over time, get information about the region from which it comes, and discover how it was made. Each scan requires two different currencies, so users will actively compare information about money from different regions.

If users don’t have a variety of money on hand, they can use the included virtual currency. When a user pulls virtual currency onto the scanning area of the Sprout mat, the same wealth of information becomes available. This application is a great way for students to take a physical or virtual piece of currency and use it as a jumping off point to learn about geography, history, material science, and economics.

Bills + Coins supports the most recent versions of commonly-used denominations of global currencies, including (but not limited to) Japanese yen and Chinese renmibi, Canadian and U.S. dollars, Eurozone euros and Russian rubles. This application is available in five languages and Sprout by HP owners can download this unique application in the HP Marketplace.

Visitors scan their own money or explore virtual currency.
The experience lets visitors compare values over time.
The system recognizes a range of currencies.
Exploring money sheds light on global economics.