A novel gesture-based interface for a VR simulation: Re-discovering Vrouw Maria

This article deals with the design and implementation of an immersive installation where users could gesturally navigate around the wreck of Vrouw Maria, a Dutch merchant ship that sank near the Finnish coast in 1771 and was rediscovered in 1999. The installation was built for the Maritime Museum in Kotka, Finland, and is part of the preservation efforts of the wreck, which still remains underwater. In addition to the cultural heritage aspect, the project was an experiment in holistic user-centered design, where several design methods, such as scenarios, role playing and informance, storyboards, and prototyping, were employed throughout the process in order to envision the final product as well as assess their utility in the scope of immersive installations. The approach we have taken and documented here can be used as a starting point for similar projects where archaeological sites are reconstructed virtually and presented, for example, in a museum setting. ACM Reference Format:Markku Reunanen, Lily Díaz, and Tommi Horttana. 2015. A holistic user-centered approach to immersive digital cultural heritage installations: Case Vrouw Maria. ACM J. Comput. Cult.

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“…The development of the user interface is discussed in more detail in another article [Sen et al 2012]. …”

Section: Gestural User Interfacementioning

confidence: 99%

A Holistic User-Centered Approach to Immersive Digital Cultural Heritage Installations

Díaz

Horttana

2015

J. Comput. Cult. Herit.

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“…First, this application requires participants to sit in a chair, followed by breathing and simulation of deterioration/recovery, to visualize the process on the screen. Therefore, the following situations limit the effects of this interaction: (a) breathing disorders and visual handicaps; (b) audiences wearing heavy attire, making it difficult to detect breathing status; (c) this application is designed for single users, not for multiusers; (d) the genuine deterioration process of ancient artifacts through time cannot be verified, so it is only a conjectured visual simulation; (e) the Kinect-based interface is not suitable for outdoor because the IR radiation from the sun might compete with the IR lighting from the Kinect [Sen et al 2012]. Second, when administering the participant evaluation, there were several limitations: (a) Most of the participants were Taiwanese and, therefore, remained in the same culture context.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The purpose of the project was to virtually improve the accessibility of the site. This system was demonstrated at the Maritime Museum of Finland [Sen et al 2012]. The previous Kinect-based multimedia works were developed in the museum context using body gestures.…”

Section: Deterioration and Recovery Simulation And The Kinect Applicamentioning

confidence: 99%

Interacting with the past

Hsieh

Liao

et al. 2014

J. Comput. Cult. Herit.

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We propose an application that allows a museum audience to interact with the past and to appreciate the value of antique objects through multimedia installations. Discussions in this article are based on our experiences in developing the Mao-Kung Cauldron time perception journey multimedia application. This installation was inspired by the Mao-Kung Cauldron, an ancient bronze cauldron in the collection of the National Palace Museum known for its historical significance. The question, however, lies in how to create an experience in which the audiences can interact with the past. To address this issue, the research team used the Kinect-based breath detection and deterioration/recovery simulation technologies to develop the application. This installation is the first application linked to Kinect-based breath detection and deterioration/recovery simulation technologies. The main contribution of this work is the analysis of design concepts, design decisions, and evaluations in a museum setting. We conduct a control group study to compare the outcomes between the experimental group (Mao-Kung Cauldron time perception journey multimedia application) and control group (asynchronous web-based kiosk). Both the quantitative (questionnaire survey) and qualitative methods (observation) are used to analyze the collected data. This work proposes a feasibility design to let museum audiences experience the features of cultural object by the virtual time perception journey application. Ping Hung. 2014. Interacting with the Past: Creating a time perception journey experience using kinect-based breath detection and deterioration and recovery simulation technologies. ACM J. Comput.

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“…'Active areas' are areas in space which will cause movement if the user positions their hand to be inside them [3]. They are used for CAD [4] or Archaeology [5] applications. Other approaches are based on games such as 'Dance Dance Revolution', where the user's foot position signals movement intention [6].…”

Section: Enabling Exploration Through Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other approaches are based on games such as 'Dance Dance Revolution', where the user's foot position signals movement intention [6]. A technique similar to the 'active area' mechanism involves twisting or leaning [4]. The final mechanism involves interacting with an onscreen control.…”

Section: Enabling Exploration Through Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Heritage through time and space supporting community reflection on the highland clearances

McCaffery

Miller

Kennedy

et al. 2013

2013 Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHeritage)

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Abstract-On the two hundredth anniversary of the Kildonan clearances, when people were forcibly removed from their homes, the Timespan Heritage centre has created a program of community centred work aimed at challenging pre conceptions and encouraging reflection on this important historical process. This paper explores the innovative ways in which virtual world technology has facilitated community engagement, enhanced visualisation and encouraged reflection as part of this program.An installation where users navigate through a reconstruction of pre clearance Caen township is controlled through natural gestures and presented on a 300 inch six megapixel screen. This environment allows users to experience the past in new ways. The platform has value as an effective way for an educator, artist or hobbyist to create large scale virtual environments using off the shelf hardware and open source software. The result is an exhibit that also serves as a platform for experimentation into innovative ways of community co-creation and co-curation.

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A novel gesture-based interface for a VR simulation: Re-discovering Vrouw Maria

Cited by 17 publications

References 15 publications

A Holistic User-Centered Approach to Immersive Digital Cultural Heritage Installations

A Holistic User-Centered Approach to Immersive Digital Cultural Heritage Installations

Interacting with the past

Exploring Heritage through time and space supporting community reflection on the highland clearances

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