Bridging Physical and Digital Spaces through AR Zone Triggers in Capybara

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) is uniquely positioned to bridge the virtual and physical worlds, enabling new forms of creative expression and interaction. In this work, we introduce the touches zone block in Capybara, an AR-based visual programming environment, that allows children to define spatial regions in their surroundings and program behaviors when virtual characters enter those areas. This feature expands on Capybara’s block-based system by providing a more flexible and intuitive alternative to predefined object detection. We demonstrate the expressive potential of zones through a series of user studies with 20 children in the United States and Argentina. Our findings suggest that zones support rich storytelling tied to physical space, encourage embodied exploration, and enable spatial reasoning through trial-and-error debugging. Participants also proposed future directions such as scanning custom objects, more intelligent interaction with the environment, and designing goal-driven narratives. These insights highlight how spatial triggers like zones can support more active, creative, and personally meaningful AR experiences for children.