Personalized Guide through Educational Exhibition: Fuzzy Expert System as Museum Exhibition “Virtual Guide”

Abstract

The development of information and communication technologies in recent decades has been very stormy. Modern mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) are ideal tools to use as virtual guides through educational exhibitions. They allow a personalized approach to the visitors (each visitor controls his/her own device), they can present not only text, but also sound and moving images and using wireless technology, they can communicate with a control server and can navigate through the exhibition. The paper describes the model of such a virtual guide using a fuzzy expert system. It's purpose is to replace the physical exhibition guide. Based on an initial analysis of a visitor, the virtual guide proposes a tour through the exhibition so that it brings the visitor the maximal educational benefit while at the same time offers information about the displayed exhibits in such a way that is most comprehensible. A fuzzy expert system is used for reasons of better and simpler communication with the visitor. Fuzzy logic allows handling of conceptual vagueness in the visitor's responses to the system's queries and also allows the use of fuzzy borders between different categories of visitors. The output is a tour route proposal adapted to practically any visitor. The aim of the virtual guide is to function in an environment of a real (physical) exhibition. First, however, to ensure better system diagnostics, the whole system should be tested in an environment of a virtual museum on the Internet. The testing involves not only the system's functionality, but also the educational benefits of such a guide.