Augmented Reality: Utilizing Virtual Spaces for Construction Prototyping; Epic Games v. Apple: Assessing the Relevance of Antitrust Laws in the Modern Digital Era

Emerging technologies are reshaping traditional markets and influencing how diverse stakeholders interact with these innovations. My Capstone project explores the application of Augmented Reality (AR) in construction prototyping to improve collaboration and resource efficiency. This work addresses immediate industry challenges while demonstrating how Extended Reality (XR) technology could revolutionize the field of civil engineering. Meanwhile, my STS research paper examines Apple’s App Store policies and their impact on market dynamics, innovation, and stakeholder power. This analysis provides lawmakers and regulators with insights to re-evaluate how monopolistic behavior in the digital economy is defined and addressed. Together, these projects examine how technological advancements influence stakeholders and disrupt established practices. My Capstone project provides insights through technical implementation, while my STS research paper provides insights through a socio-technical lens.

My Capstone project addresses the challenges civil engineers face in balancing cost, time, and stakeholder collaboration during the design process. My team developed a virtual prototyping platform using Unity3D and the MetaQuest 3, creating an immersive space where engineers and clients can collaborate effectively without the need for physical models. This approach optimizes resources and enables remote communication, offering a novel solution to longstanding inefficiencies in the industry.

Our final product met all technical requirements, allowing up to 20 users to design and customize structures collaboratively. The platform supports real-time interactions over long distances, demonstrating the potential of AR technology to revolutionize construction practices. Despite encountering setbacks with our saving and loading mechanisms, our findings provide valuable insights into ways AR can transform the design process. Beyond fulfilling immediate goals, the project highlights the broader possibilities of AR adoption, including safer construction processes, reduced material waste, and enhanced stakeholder engagement.

My STS research focuses on the implications of Apple’s App Store policies, particularly its mandatory 30% commission, restrictions on third-party payments, and ecosystem control. This research examines how these policies shape the app marketplace, influence developer and consumer choices, and raise antitrust concerns. Using a case study of the Epic Games v. Apple litigation and an analysis of legal frameworks like the Sherman and Clayton Acts, I investigate the broader effects of centralized platform governance on innovation and accessibility.

The findings reveal that Apple’s policies, while bolstering its market dominance, create significant barriers for developers and consumers. The Epic Games case exemplifies the challenges of regulating tech giants, as the court’s narrow focus on mobile gaming transactions overlooked Apple’s broader influence on the app ecosystem. Going forward, future cases may offer more clarity on whether the current regulatory frameworks, such as the Sherman Act or Clayton Act, can effectively curb anti-competitive practices in the digital space. These results underscore the need for more robust regulatory measures to ensure fair competition and sustainable innovation in the digital economy, ensuring that consumers and smaller developers are not unduly harmed.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Technical Advisor: Rosanne Vrugtman

STS Advisor: Pedro Francisco