Rapid Prototyping for the Extension of the Accessibility to Cultural Heritage for Blind People

Abstract

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The extension of accessibility of CH to disabled people is a current topic of great importance. Today, there exist a lot of ongoing projects aimed at the extension of accessibility using the most recent and low cost technologies to improve accessibility to CH. One of the technologies, today available that can help to improve accessibility to CH, is certainly rapid prototyping. The main goal of the research here illustrated is the application of rapid prototyping for the extension of accessibility of Cultural Heritage (CH) to blind and visually impaired people. This document reports an experiment that compared the effectiveness of different 3D models for the introduction of blind and visually impaired people to the tactile use of models of monuments. In addition, this study focuses on defining standards and guidelines regarding features of 3D models, e.g. print resolution, in order to obtain greater legibility of models at different scales by the blind or visually impaired people. This paper shows a part of a wider Interreg EU research project, named I-ACCESS, aimed to study accessibility problems and solutions for CH. The experiments conducted with the sample of disabled people, allowed to obtain results on the most suitable printing parameters to be used.</p>

From Virtual Reconstruction to Additive Manufacturing: Application of Advanced Technologies for the Integration of a 17th-Century Wooden Ciborium

“…It is a particularly strong polymer with better mechanical properties than PLA; these characteristics drove the choice of this material for this study [ 9 , 21 , 41 ]. PETG is not always preferred over PLA or other polymers in restorations, partly due to cost implications that often influence the initial choice of material to be used, and studies on the variation of mechanical properties as a function of the parameters of the 3D printing process are still generally limited [ 42 , 43 ].…”

3D Printing Technology based on the Development Model of Cultural and Creative Products on University Campuses

“…Their findings indicate that 3D printing enhances student engagement and learning outcomes in diverse disciplines. Scianna, A. and Di Filippo, G. [20], along with Leporini, B. et al [16], focused on using 3D printing to extend accessibility to cultural heritage for people with disabilities. Their work highlights how 3D-printed replicas and interactive models can create inclusive cultural experiences.…”

The Virtualization of Ch for Historical Reconstruction: The Ar Fruition of the Fountain of St. George Square in Valletta (Malta)

“…In this field, the level of accessibility of CH sites takes primary importance, and the development of AR and VR technologies play a crucial role in experimenting new ways of fruition based on virtualization (Bruno et al, 2009, Skarlatos et al, 2016. At the same time, the evolution of rapid prototyping processes recently allowed to generate scaled 3D printed models with an advanced level of accuracy (Balletti et al, 2017, Inzerillo and Di Paola, 2017, Scianna and Di Filippo, 2019. The use of multiple technologies in the field of CH contributes to enhancing both the visitors' experience and the work of those involved in the management of CH.…”