Quando: enabling museum and art gallery practitioners to develop interactive digital exhibits

Museums and Art Galleries are challenged to inspire, engage and involve visitors by presenting their collections within physical exhibitions. Curators and exhibition professionals are increasingly telling stories using digital interactivity. This work introduces Quando, a visual programming based toolset that domain experts can use to create interactive exhibits. A small case study demonstrates the language in use at during an archaeological excavation

Moving Inside the Box: Interacting with Interpretation of Historical Artefacts Through Tangible Augmented Reality

We present ARcheoBox, a walk-up-and-use prototype for interacting with interpretation of historical artefacts using tangible augmented reality. ARcheoBox enables users to manipulate virtual representations and interact with interpretation of historical artefacts using cylinder-shaped generic proxies. We also leverage the user interactions with interpretation using three interaction techniques “Move”, “Rotate”, and “Flip” as output modalities in AR. The prototype consists of a wooden box, a tablet display, and generic proxies, which means ARcheoBox does not require any head-mounted displays (HMDs), handheld controllers, or haptic gloves. We conducted a user study with 25 participants in which the findings demonstrate the advantages of tangible AR over more conventional interaction modalities presented in museums such as touch screens. Finally, we present a set of design recommendations for designing tangible AR that enhances the user’s interaction experience with historical artefacts

The Suitability of 3D Data: 3D Digitisation of Human Remains

The use of 3D data in the analysis of skeletal and fossil materials has conveyed numerous advantages in many fields; however, as the availability and use of 3D scanning equipment are rapidly increasing, it is important for researchers to consider whether these methods are suitable for the proposed study. The issue of suitability has been largely overlooked in previous research; for instance, casts and reconstruction methods are frequently used to increase sample sizes, without sufficient assessment of the effect, this may have on the accuracy and reliability of results. Furthermore, the reliability of geometric morphometric methods and the implications of virtual curation have not received sufficient consideration. This paper discusses the suitability of 3D research with regard to the accuracy, reliability, and accessibility of methods and materials, as well as the effects of the current learning environment. Areas where future work will progress 3D research are proposed

Interactive visualization of 3d scanned mummies at public venues

Article revealing how a full-body virtual autopsy of an ancient Egyptian mummy showed museum visitors he was likely murdered