Intangible heritage is often linked to human actions and performances. The use of digital humans (DHs) for its digital representation and therefore its preservation, allows reframing the way to transmit and deal with content that is difficult to visualize. To that end, the digital human becomes an important element establishing the connection between the action, the objects, the knowledge, and the environment. In this article, we describe the development of DHs acting as practitioners and storytellers for traditional craft processes within virtual environments. We present the process and the tasks involved in modeling, designing, and animating DHs, detailing the underlying technological background. Animations were completely based on real humans' motion extraction while working on the corresponding craft. As a result, we present the different DHs models created for three specific heritage crafts: mastic cultivation, glass blowing, and silk weaving as well as an AR application, built to augment exhibits of the Chios Mastic Museum. This article is a practical description of the steps to model and animate virtual humans. The work aims to bring a methodology for achieving DHs creation for CH applications.

In the digital information world, visualizing information in public spaces has been implemented in various formats and for application contexts such as advertisement, useful information provision, and provision of critical information in the cases of accidents, natural disasters, etc. Among the different types of information displays, in this research work, the focus is given to the ones that extend the experience of people visiting cultural heritage institutions. To this end, the design and implementation of an interactive display case that aims to overcome the “non-touch policy” of museums are presented. This novel display allows visitors to get engaged with artifacts and information through touch-based interaction with the ambition to extend the target audience and impact of museum content. The conducted study demonstrates that the interactive display case is an effective solution for providing relevant information to visitors, enhancing their engagement with exhibits, and improving their overall experience. The proposed solution is user-friendly, engaging, and informative, making it ideal for museums and other public exhibit spaces.

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