Augmented Reality in Cultural Heritage: Designing for Mobile AR User Experiences

The growing number of mobile augmented reality applications has been favoring its awareness and usage among diversified areas. Focusing on cultural heritage applications, this study presents an evaluation of a mobile augmented reality application tested at Conimbriga, an archaeological site. The prototype developed for this purpose, named DinofelisAR, allowed users to view, over 360 degrees, a majestic reconstruction of a Forum from the Roman Era superimposed over its current ruins. Thus, users were able to keep perceiving the present-day surroundings of a Roman city in ruins while, at the same time, had the possibility to explore the matching virtual model. The results presented, arising from 90 participants involved in this evaluation, praise the sense of opportunity for new augmented reality solutions targeted at cultural heritage sites.

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Α PATTERN-BASED AUGMENTED REALITY APPLICATION FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

ISPRS Annals of Photogrammetry Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprs-annals-viii-m-1-2021-57-2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol VIII-M-1-2021 ◽

pp. 57-63

Author(s):

A.-M. Boutsi ◽

S. Verykokou ◽

S. Soile ◽

C. Ioannidis

Keyword(s):

Augmented Reality ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Feature Matching ◽

3D Models ◽

Added Value ◽

Mobile Platforms ◽

Mobile Ar ◽

Matching Techniques ◽

Graphics Engine ◽

Java Code

Abstract. Augmented Reality (AR) is more than an added value for Cultural Heritage (CH); it is vital for its sustainability, promotion and dissemination, increasing accessibility in CH even during difficult periods of time, like the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to be meaningful and engaging, an AR application should have the following characteristics: easiness of use, high-quality representations and compatibility. This paper presents a marker-less mobile AR application for the display and inspection of high-resolution 3D cultural assets, overlayed on a particular location in the real-world scene. Instead of predefined markers, an image captured by the user is exploited as a pattern for real-time feature matching, pose estimation and scene augmentation. Our approach is based on pure computer vision and photogrammetric techniques, implemented using native C++ and Java code for Android mobile platforms. It is built with the use of the OpenCV library and the OpenGL ES graphics API without any dependencies of AR Software Development Kits (SDKs). Therefore, it supports cross-vendor portability regarding mobile model devices and hardware specifications. The evaluation of the developed application examines the performance of various matching techniques and the overall responsiveness of processing and 3D rendering on mid-range and low-end smartphones. The results showcase the reliability and responsiveness of the pattern recognition as well as the potential of the 3D graphics engine to render and overlay complex 3D models balancing between visual quality and time. The proposed methodology is applied to the Ciborium of the church of St. Charalabos, located at St. Stephen’s Monastery in Meteora, Greece.

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CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF MOBILE AUGMENTED REALITY FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE SITE TOWARDS ENJOYABLE INFORMAL LEARNING ASPECT

Jurnal Teknologi ◽

10.11113/jt.v77.6847 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 77 (29) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ulka Chandini Pendit ◽

Syamsul Bahrin Zaibon ◽

Juliana Aida Abu Bakar

Keyword(s):

User Interface ◽

Augmented Reality ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Informal Learning ◽

Conceptual Model ◽

Interface Design ◽

User Interface Design ◽

Mobile Augmented Reality ◽

Heritage Site ◽

Mobile Ar

Conceptual model of mobile augmented reality (AR) for cultural heritage site based on enjoyable informal learning aspect is proposed to help technical or content developers to develop mobile AR application specifically for cultural heritage site that include enjoyable learning aspect. The conceptual model provides appropriate content, navigation and user interface design, interactivity, features, hardware, and process for providing informal learning in enjoyable way at cultural heritage site using mobile AR. The conceptual model consists of three structures, six components, and twenty nine elements. The usage of conceptual model is flexible which can be implemented according to developer’s needs and preferences.

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Mobile AR Performance Issues in a Cultural Heritage Environment

International Journal of Creative Interfaces and Computer Graphics ◽

10.4018/ijcicg.2018010102 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 15-31

Author(s):

Anabela Marto ◽

A Augusto Sousa

Keyword(s):

Augmented Reality ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Field Of View ◽

Controlled Environment ◽

Performance Tests ◽

Augmented Reality System ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Mobile Ar ◽

And Performance

Due to technological advances, augmented reality has seen fast growth in the last decades and numerous implementations of this technology have been in favour for a consequent growth of popularity. For this article, an augmented reality system is implemented for smartphone and tested in a cultural heritage environment to evaluate the system performance in the context. In the first stage, several prototypes were developed, and performance tests were executed in a controlled environment to select a solution to implement and evaluate in-situ. The solution found is a marker-based system, held with Vuforia SDK. When the marker is lost for being outside of the field of view, the system will be based on natural features to accomplish user tracking. Visitors from a cultural heritage space – the Roman Ruins of Conimbriga – tested the app and evaluated it. They considered that the presented system should be implemented in the referred cultural space, as well as in other archaeological spaces.

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User-Centered Predictive Model for Improving Cultural Heritage Augmented Reality Applications: An HMM-Based Approach for Eye-Tracking Data

Journal of Imaging ◽

10.3390/jimaging4080101 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (8) ◽

pp. 101 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Roberto Pierdicca ◽

Marina Paolanti ◽

Simona Naspetti ◽

Serena Mandolesi ◽

Raffaele Zanoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Augmented Reality ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Predictive Model ◽

Hidden Markov ◽

Tracking Data ◽

Eye Tracker ◽

Visual Behaviour ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Mobile Ar ◽

Areas Of Interest

Today, museum visits are perceived as an opportunity for individuals to explore and make up their own minds. The increasing technical capabilities of Augmented Reality (AR) technology have raised audience expectations, advancing the use of mobile AR in cultural heritage (CH) settings. Hence, there is the need to define a criteria, based on users’ preference, able to drive developers and insiders toward a more conscious development of AR-based applications. Starting from previous research (performed to define a protocol for understanding the visual behaviour of subjects looking at paintings), this paper introduces a truly predictive model of the museum visitor’s visual behaviour, measured by an eye tracker. A Hidden Markov Model (HMM) approach is presented, able to predict users’ attention in front of a painting. Furthermore, this research compares users’ behaviour between adults and children, expanding the results to different kind of users, thus providing a reliable approach to eye trajectories. Tests have been conducted defining areas of interest (AOI) and observing the most visited ones, attempting the prediction of subsequent transitions between AOIs. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and suitability of our approach, with performance evaluation values that exceed 90%.

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Volumetric Video in Augmented Reality Applications for Museological Narratives

Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage ◽

10.1145/3425400 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

Néill O’dwyer ◽

Emin Zerman ◽

Gareth W. Young ◽

Aljosa Smolic ◽

Siobhán Dunne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Augmented Reality ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Applied Research ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Museum Visitors ◽

The Public ◽

Research Article ◽

Nature Of Information ◽

Live Action ◽

Capture Technique

Cross-reality technologies are quickly establishing themselves as commonplace platforms for presenting objects of historical, scientific, artistic, and cultural interest to the public. In this space, augmented reality (AR) is notably successful in delivering cultural heritage applications, including architectural and environmental heritage reconstruction, exhibition data management and representation, storytelling, and exhibition curation. Generally, it has been observed that the nature of information delivery in applications created for narrating exhibitions tends to be informative and formal. Here we report on the assessment of a pilot scene for a prototype AR application that attempts to break this mold by employing a humorous and playful mode of communication. This bespoke AR experience harnessed the cutting-edge live-action capture technique of volumetric video to create a digital tour guide that playfully embellished the museological experience of the museum visitors. This applied research article consists of measuring, presenting, and discussing the appeal, interest, and ease of use of this ludic AR storytelling strategy mediated via AR technology in a cultural heritage context.

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Revealing Hidden Local Cultural Heritage through a Serious Escape Game in Outdoor Settings

Information ◽

10.3390/info12010010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 10

Author(s):

Stavroula Tzima ◽

Georgios Styliaras ◽

Athanasios Bassounas

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Augmented Reality ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Physical Environment ◽

Local History ◽

Educational Context ◽

Virtual Reality Technology ◽

The Real ◽

Hybrid Type ◽

Game Mechanics

Escape Rooms are presently considered a very popular social entertainment activity, with increasing popularity in education field, since they are considered capable of stimulating the interest of players/students and enhancing learning. The combined game mechanics have led to blended forms of Escape Rooms, the Serious Escape Games (SEGs) and the hybrid type of Escape Rooms that uses Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality technology, a type that is expected to be widely used in the future. In the current study, the MillSecret is presented, a multi-player Serious Escape Game about local cultural heritage, where the players must solve a riddle about the cultural asset of watermills. MillSecret uses AR technology and it was designed to be conducted in the real-physical environment and in an informal educational context. The paper describes the game, its implementation, the playing process, and its evaluation, which aimed to study the feasibility of game conduction in outdoor settings and the views and experience of players with the game, the local cultural heritage and local history. Evaluation results reveal, among other findings, a very positive first feedback from players that allows us to further evolve the development of the game.

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