Project: Web XR

Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to create attractive museum experiences in a museum context. AR can be used not only as a tool for entertainment, but also for knowledge transfer and learning. For example, the size of the virtual exhibit can be shown in relation to the real environment. Additionally, layers can be superimposed to show hidden details. For several years, there have been approaches to be able to use AR via websites. Functions that were previously reserved for native apps should be able to be used via the web in the future. The new web standard WebXR, should enable a cross-platform and uniform development of Mixed Reality (XR) applications on the web.

Project development: Jana Borchardt, a student of media informatics at the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf (HSD), dedicated her master thesis in March 2022 to the topic of Web XR technology for the interactive presentation of museum objects. Synergies and points of contact were defined within the framework of HSD’s partnership with previous.nextmuseum.io. This was followed by the support of student research, which was carried out in the form of a qualitative study on the experiences of museum employees as well as visitors as a basis for prototype development. The MIREVI team performed photogrammetric scanning and post-processing of objects from the collections of the Kunstpalast and the Museum Ulm for subsequent implementation in a Web XR application. The results of the research project will be published on this page soon.