Author: Efstratios Geronikolakis

From Pokemon GO to Snapchat, augmented reality is a widely successful platform to engage app users in fun and interactive ways. Many AR apps are being used in museums to make their exhibits accessible to any visitor. There is a myriad of effective ways to engage visitors through existing AR apps.   1. Translation For museums with a large international audience, offering content in several languages can be a challenge. Descriptions can only fit so many languages in without taking up too much exhibit space! Many tourists use the Google Translate app to guide them through museums. With the Google Translate app, visitors can scan a description in another language to see a split screen of the original language and their native language. An issue with Google Translate is that it may not offer precise translations of the content, which can leave guests confused. This problem can be solved by having an AR tour available for guests with more precise translations.   2. Interactive games for Kids with Autism Many museums offer early bird starts to allow kids with autism to visit without being overwhelmed by large, noisy crowds. The Natural History Museum and Science Museum in London offer Early Bird starts for kids. AR can help kids with autism interact with museum exhibits even on busy days. One mother wrote about her experience visiting the Cutty Sark here:...

John Pether is a man on a mission — a multimillion dollar dream to establish in Sarasota a state-of-the-art Florida history museum. A gargantuan undertaking to be sure, but Pether brings to the task the zeal, coupled with a well-thought-out and researched plan with facts and figures to convince even the skeptical that it can happen — indeed should happen. What Pether has in mind is an augmented reality home in which to showcase Florida’s unique history. He calls his project FLORIDA HISTORY EXPO: “A Time Machine of History Then and Now.” The plan calls for incorporating virtual and augmented reality. He says it will be the first museum in the United States to offer such modern technologies. Holograms will bring to life historic figures, places and events. No more passing by a one-dimensional photo or artifact and a brief explanation. He cites an example of a saber tooth tiger skeleton exhibit enhanced with augmented reality, making it appear alive and roaming the premises. Historic artifacts will also be brought to life by this technology. For instance a “Then” exhibit of a Civil War operating tent and all the antique instruments will be transposed into a “Now” high-tech operating theater. The possibilities are endless: camp with the Native Americans, take a tour with John Ringling through the John and Mable Museum of Art, maybe visit a Roaring ’20s boom-time...