Steer Hokule‘a in new virtual simulation

Imagine steering the Hokule‘a double-hulled sailing canoe using the starry night sky to navigate — without setting foot outdoors.

It’s now possible to do just that with Kilo Hoku, a virtual-reality simulation designed by four students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. With the help of a headset and hand-held controller, users can take the helm of a virtual Hokule‘a while viewing constellations in a cloudless sky to simulate traditional wayfinding.

The public is invited to try out Kilo Hoku, which translates roughly to “navigating the stars,” at the Malama Honua Summit at the Hawai‘i Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Tuesday.

“Our hope for this project is that it be a learning tool,” said Kari Noe, one of the four students who created Kilo Hoku. The senior computer science and animation major said they hope to eventually make it widely available, with additional features, as a free educational tool.

Noe first met fellow students Dean Lodes, Patrick Karjala and Anna Sikkink at a class at UH’s Laboratory for Advanced Visualization and Applications last fall. Their assignment was to create a virtual-reality app, and as each went up to present their ideas, they realized their shared interest in the Hokule‘a.

Lodes is a doctoral candidate in learning design and technology, while Karjala, a graduate computer science student, is researching virtual reality as way to teach noninstrument ocean navigation. Sikkink, a recent computer science graduate with a minor in astronomy, used images from NASA to map out the constellations on the reverse side of a sphere model she created.

They meshed so well together, according to Noe, they continued working on the project well after the semester was over.

While they are well aware the art of wayfinding involves much more than what their virtual-reality program can offer — for example, it can’t provide the feel of rolling waves or wind — users can learn about the Hawaii sky and how to use a compass to line up the stars before determining which way to steer from Kauai to Oahu.

“Right now you can jump in and sail,” she said.