The realm of augmented reality applications has influenced many aspects of human activity, including business, manufacturing, education, and gaming. Think of anything, and you might come across something that uses augmented reality. The world of museums is not left behind, and the recent change from traditional to interactive museums has fully embraced augmented reality technologies. Augmented reality has proven to be one of the most effective technologies for museums seeking to attract visitors through highly interactive experiences and displays. So, what are the most popular applications of augmented reality in museums? Let us find out.
For the uninitiated, Augmented Reality, or AR, is an excellent AR technology in museums that allows us to overlay digital content over the world we view through our digital devices and wearables. In simple terms, augmented reality adds something meaningful and entertaining to what you view through your smartphone camera. Imagine you’re walking across Chennai and need directions to the Amma Museum on Marina Beach. You’re dropped off near the shore and can’t determine whether to go right or left to get there. So you pull out your smartphone, which launches a map app and gives you the much-needed directions. An AR function allows you to activate the camera, which opens up the street in front of you and provides visual cues and voice-over directions on how to get there. It has just “augmented” the reality you see with useful and contextual information to assist you in your journey to the museum. Now, this is a very simplistic example of how we may use augmented reality in our daily lives, and it is only intended to illustrate how AR works.
Augmented reality has numerous applications, especially in today’s museums.. Almost all new museums and many older ones have transitioned to what we call Museum 2.0. This is likely a new phrase for many, but it refers to the next generation of museums that leverage many of the latest digital technologies to create and commission interactive and immersive exhibits, experiences, and deliver unique value propositions within the physical domain of a museum. These new concepts, approaches, and strategies are intended to increase visitor arrivals, involvement, and overall engagement across the visitor spectrum. Museum 2.0 aims to provide interesting and memorable experiences, as well as educational value, to all museum visitors.
One of the most popular AR uses is to transform static museum exhibitions into interactive experiences. Most museums show valuable artifacts under glass or in more protective enclosures. This primarily 2D image limits the opportunity to learn more about the artifact’s worth and importance. Consider how the artifact could come to life digitally, but only to talk about itself in an augmented reality museum experience. Or have its creator appear beside the artifact to describe its characteristics, provenance, and arrival at the museum? This is made possible via an effectively built augmented reality app that can be downloaded on your smartphone or tablet. Museums might potentially loan out such gadgets with the application preloaded on them. It would also have a headset that would allow you to hear and enjoy audio inputs, prompts, and content.
Scanning a QR code near the artifact launches the appropriate content on your device, and you will now be able to see digital information that highlights the artifact’s unique attributes through text, animation, or voice. The visitor receives immediate information and becomes interested in learning more about it. The app may launch a highly realistic 3D model or a hologram of the same artifact, allowing you to view it from every angle. This is much better and more revealing than the 2D version. The artifact’s voice description might be provided by a museum expert or a researcher with better knowledge of the subject. The content is unique, authentic, and informative, which considerably enhances the visitor’s experience.
The application might also take you back in time and provide more information about how this artifact appeared in its original shape and setting. If the artifact was damaged during its transfer, a digital replica of the actual artifact depicts it in its entirety. This experience is only feasible through the expert use of augmented reality AR technology in museums and the knowledge of historians, curators, engineers, artists, and application developers. This application is applicable to all artifacts, artworks, and other cultural, scientific, and technological objects of historical significance. The overall objective is for visitors to become involved, experience, and learn about historical events that are significant to a nation. This AR application is seen as an excellent tool for enabling people to readily understand and experience the things that are important to their culture and nation.
Another popular AR application is to reproduce an inaccessible environment, such as a rainforest on the island of Borneo. How can one experience part of the wonder that exists in a rainforest? What sorts of flora and fauna are there? Why are they critical to the survival of people and the planet? These are questions that many people will have. The exhibit that recreates a specific area use sophisticated projection displays and sound systems to convey a sense of the sights, sounds, and even scents. The AR application is intended to display content about the various features of the rainforest. As you enter the exhibit, the app launches, and you may witness the rainforest’s hidden inhabitants emerge through your digital device or wearable. As a visitor, you begin to experience the immersiveness created by the application. This is genuinely magical, fostering a unique understanding and appreciation for the rainforest. You may view and learn more about endangered plants and animals, and consider what you could do to help preserve them. This awareness and thinking is critical to the museum’s and conservation organizations’ goals and objectives. AR technology in museums helps with the development of unique interactive and immersive experiences. Similar experiences can be developed based on the museum’s preferred areas of focus. Such experiences provide essential education beyond the four walls of a classroom.
Another popular AR application allows visitors to see persons and their activities through the use of AR holograms. The visitor may be able to observe how astronauts moved and worked inside their spacecraft while viewing the genuine object or a replica of it in a specially designed augmented reality experience center. This has a lot of educational value and provides a better knowledge of how things were done. The recall of what was viewed is very good, which could assist students better understand concepts and applications, as well as develop academic mastery and competences. These encounters establish the groundwork for young students’ emerging interests and academic paths through the competent use of such technologies in museums.
What we’ve covered here is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to AR applications for museums. There is much more accessible, and more will be released in the near future as they are produced. The creation of such exhibits and experiences is a collaborative endeavor involving numerous disciplines and persons. The technological and project capabilities are provided by expert Museum 2.0 solution providers such as Fusion VR in India. There are numerous instances of interactive museums, including the Amma Museum and Knowledge Park in Chennai, RKM Museums in various sites throughout India, and, most recently, the Kalaignar Museum, also in Chennai. These demonstrate our skills, and we invite you to contact us if you have ideas to create augmented reality exhibits and experiences. More information can be available on our dedicated Museum 2.0 page, and we would be delighted to collaborate with you on your efforts.
