A Survey of Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality for Cultural Heritage

TLDR

A multimedia approach to the diffusion, communication, and exploitation of Cultural Heritage is a well‑established trend worldwide, with augmented, virtual, and mixed reality technologies enhancing access and the quality of cultural heritage experiences. The article reviews AR, VR, and MR technologies from a cultural heritage perspective, identifying application areas and recommending the most suitable technology for each case. The authors survey the state‑of‑the‑art of AR, VR, and MR systems, covering all aspects of the technology and mapping them to cultural heritage use cases. The review predicts future research directions, emphasizing interaction interfaces, and explores the implications for the cultural heritage domain.

Abstract

A multimedia approach to the diffusion, communication, and exploitation of Cultural Heritage (CH) is a well-established trend worldwide. Several studies demonstrate that the use of new and combined media enhances how culture is experienced. The benefit is in terms of both number of people who can have access to knowledge and the quality of the diffusion of the knowledge itself. In this regard, CH uses augmented-, virtual-, and mixed-reality technologies for different purposes, including education, exhibition enhancement, exploration, reconstruction, and virtual museums. These technologies enable user-centred presentation and make cultural heritage digitally accessible, especially when physical access is constrained. A number of surveys of these emerging technologies have been conducted; however, they are either not domain specific or lack a holistic perspective in that they do not cover all the aspects of the technology. A review of these technologies from a cultural heritage perspective is therefore warranted. Accordingly, our article surveys the state-of-the-art in augmented-, virtual-, and mixed-reality systems as a whole and from a cultural heritage perspective. In addition, we identify specific application areas in digital cultural heritage and make suggestions as to which technology is most appropriate in each case. Finally, the article predicts future research directions for augmented and virtual reality, with a particular focus on interaction interfaces and explores the implications for the cultural heritage domain.