The Usage of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Underwater Archeology

Abstract

Currently, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) technologies are becoming more and more widely used in various fields of human activity, including archeology. The aim of this article is to analyze the possibilities of using VR and AR technologies in broadly understood activities related to underwater archeology. This work is a review and presents current applications of VR and AR in underwater archeology based on case studies. This paper presents the development of VR and AR technologies, including in the field of underwater archaeology, and generally describes the process of creating VR and AR applications for underwater archeology purposes, with particular emphasis on data collection methods. Then, the areas of application of these technologies in underwater archeology and related areas were generally presented and the barriers to their use were discussed. The most important part of the work is a discussion of the use of VR and AR in underwater archeology based on the selected case studies. The article ends with a summary of the current state and a discussion of the possibilities of developing virtual technologies in the applications of underwater archeology.