Page 105 - AC-3-1

Arts & Communication Integrating extended reality in modern museums

that encompass both technologies. 16,92,93 Although researchers Wearable AR technology can improve the visitor
believed that “an optical see-through HMD with a high display experience, especially when it offers sharing capabilities.
resolution could provide a more comfortable environment In the case of a Google Glass app in a UK art gallery,
without causing blurred vision or dizziness,” it seems that visitors who participated in an audience survey (2014 –
the problem has not yet been completely tackled, although 2015) reported that the experience was both enjoyable and
VR/MR devices such as the Apple Vision Pro have been interesting. Wearable technology has a significant positive
96
specifically designed to reduce motion sickness. 93,94 effect by providing a more natural way of interaction than
Thus, we may have to wait for a “usable enough” mobile devices. Embedded in users’ experiences and
device to fully enjoy immersive AR experiences in actions, it functioned as an extension of visitors’ bodily
96
museum environments. From another perspective, functions, intelligently expanding them.
95
future technological advancements could see portable The rejuvenating influence of AR technology was further
and wearable devices replaced by implantable ones. In demonstrated by the mobile AR application developed
81
any case, it is clear that leveraging such technologies has at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
redefined the museum exhibition experience: visitors are According to users, the app transformed an “antiquated”
“extended,” acquiring hybridity, and their relation with exhibition of vertebrate skeletons – unchanged since
museum objects is mediated and transformed. 16,56,95,96 the 1960s and no longer meeting modern engagement
One of the most common applications of AR in museums standards – into a highly interactive experience. 84
is the virtual tour guide, providing personalized exploration Likewise, the AR app developed at the Carnegie
and navigation, often combined with mobile technology, Museum of Natural History in 2008, as part of an
advanced software, and geolocation through sensors or international collaboration, transformed the typical
image recognition. 85,97 A well-known example is the CHESS museum tour. The app, an interactive virtual diorama,
Project, implemented in museums such as the Acropolis provided a personalized tour of the museum’s garden,
(Athens) and the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam). It was showcasing how the ecosystem appeared before the deer
based on stories of predetermined content, with the ability overpopulation. It featured a forest filled with flowers,
to adjust the plot according to visitor behavior. 98,99 Similarly, plants, insects, and bird sounds, fostering emotional,
the Smartify app, currently used in art galleries worldwide, cognitive, and esthetic involvement. 103
allows users to access multimedia information and create In another case, AR was used to reconstruct older
personal galleries through scanning. 11
artifacts and environments at the Viking Ship Museum
A significant step in the evolution of AR applications (Oslo) and the Calmecac Museum (Mexico). In both cases,
in museums has been the adoption of wearable technology AR significantly enhanced the museum experience and
since 2012, specifically devices such as smart glasses, supported CH communication. 104
which free visitors of the burden and limitations of mobile Patil et al. leveraged technology to create an AR museum
devices. In a pilot study, De Angeli et al. experimented tour system, enabling users to interact with augmented
with an AR device by developing a lightweight, transparent virtual models and modify their visual properties for
optical headset frame on which the visitor’s mobile phone 105
could be placed, allowing virtual content to be displayed exploration and discovery. Similarly, Paliokas et al.
directly in front of their eyes without QR tags or the need developed an AR application that encouraged interaction,
for an Internet connection. 100 detailed review, and new perspectives on exhibition. Their
application offered digital versions of exhibits, interactive
At the same time, AR glasses such as Google Glass were storytelling, and an AR quiz, which boosted user interest
gaining momentum in museums globally. For instance, and satisfaction, thereby optimizing learning outcomes. 106
at the de Young Museum (San Francisco), Google Glass
was used in conjunction with iBeacons to enhance a Sugiura et al. developed a visitor-centric AR HMD
Keith Haring exhibition, helping visitors gain a deeper museum tour system with a physical click interface
understanding of his works. 90,101,102 In a similar context, for a museum of medical samples. Their pilot study
demonstrated the system’s learning effectiveness and its
Mason experimented with a prototype optical AR headset overall superiority over traditional description panels. 93
(Glassware), which through QR technology and a simple
contact interface provides simultaneous or selective TombSeer, a “holographic AR” heads-up application,
viewing of virtual and real information. Through a field developed by Pedersen et al., integrated gestural and visual
experiment at the Robotics Gallery at the MIT Museum, experience at the Royal Ontario Museum. This self-guided
Mason confirmed the power of the smart glasses experience tour application used HMDs, such as Meta or Microsoft
compared to that of a mobile screen. 81 HoloLens, to provide a 3D viewpoint and embodied

Volume 3 Issue 1 (2025) 10 doi: 10.36922/ac.3428