Read more: Augmented Reality—What Reality Can We Learn From It? | museumsandtheweb.comAbstract
In June 2011, the Asian Civilisations Museum launched an integrated iPhone app—the world’s first museum app to combine augmented reality (AR), location-based gaming, and interactive features—in its special exhibition Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor and His Legacy. Specially designed to tell a story that complements the content and flow of the exhibition in seven interactive chapters, each chapter highlights at least one object in the exhibition and attempts to engage visitors on a more personal level. As the story progresses, visitors respond to image markers that launch augmented reality and gaming experiences that breathe life into the objects.
The launch of this app was a pilot exercise, and it presented us with an opportunity to study the adoption of technology by our visitors. The integration of several interactive features in the app also allowed us to look at behaviour and interactions of users. This paper surveys the effectiveness of this implementation, explores the wider issues raised by the findings, and relates lessons learned from unforeseen challenges along the way.
Keywords: augmented reality, Asian Civilisations Museum, mobile, interactive, gaming, edutainment
1. Introduction
The role of the museum is no longer just to exhibit significant and beautiful objects; now it must also create rich, fun, and engaging experiences for visitors. One way to achieve this is through the use of new technology. This is especially relevant when trying to reach the younger generation. Many museums implement new technologies as part of their continuous pursuit of new ways to stimulate young, tech-saavy audiences. When well designed and executed, these can add layers to objects by creating new narratives that provide alternate modes of access. Augmented reality (AR) has been made available on mobile phones in recent years, and museums have been in the forefront of experimentation to test its educational value.
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Emergent Technology as Art Practice and Public Art as Intervention #AR
