The MIT Museum Glassware Prototype

Abstract

With the growth of enthusiasm for the adoption of wearable technology in everyday life, the museum world has also become interested in understanding whether and how to employ smart glasses to engage visitors with new interpretative experiences. The growing interest in wearable technology encourages experimentation with smart glasses, as this trend is going to influence digital media interpretation for museums in the near future. To explore the use of smart glasses in the museum, a Glassware prototype was designed and tested through a field experiment that took place at the Robotics Gallery at the MIT Museum. During the experiment, I observed and then interviewed participants. Finally, I analysed the data following a qualitative research approach. The findings of this study have to be seen as an initial contribution to the design of latest generation of smart glass apps, providing reflections for further studies and projects.

Making virtual reconstructions part of the visit: An exploratory study

“…the pickpocket or the juggler, have proved very effective in bringing together historical rigour and entertainment (Poole 2018) whilst the reuse of content intended for different devices may diminish the experience (e.g. text from panels, video clips from screens, and narratives from audio-guides were less than ideal on smart glasses (Mason 2016, Archeomatica 2016). The crafting of new narratives that fit the new use is key to a sustained enjoyment of the experience, particularly when the visual reconstruction for a place is a repetition of or similar to what has been seen before: to find new stories gives purpose to the visual exploration of the 3D reconstruction.…”

Affectual Dramaturgy for Augmented Reality Immersive Heritage Performance

“…The difference of using an AR headset to using the mobile is the opportunity and potential for full body interaction, since the hands are not engaged (Vainstein, Tsvi & Joel, 2016). Looking through a headset while not losing the view of the physical environment and being able to have the hands free is a more immersive experience than using the mobile (Mason, 2016). In addition, the experience design can make use of a variety of sensorial input, such as eye tracking and voice, to enable further interaction mechanisms that may be more natural to visitors of all ages.…”

“…In addition, the experience design can make use of a variety of sensorial input, such as eye tracking and voice, to enable further interaction mechanisms that may be more natural to visitors of all ages. The majority of research on AR headsets have so far focused on areas of science and ergonomics (Mason 2016;Mokatren 2018, Vainstein 2016Kerr 2011) such as navigation to a target location, situational awareness, and augmented imagery visibility. At the same time, an increasing number of applications are being designed for different contexts, and indoor and outdoor cultural heritage sites have been a fruitful ground for research and experimentation with AR.…”

“…As with every new interaction technology, along with scientific research it is necessary to research the design processes under which the interface and the context are tied harmoniously together to produce a meaningful experience (Dima forthcoming). Mason (2016) and Tom Dieck (2014; used early prototype headsets to study user interaction through AR headsets in a cultural context, mapping requirements and offering recommendations based on the use of prototype experiences in cultural places. Hammady (2019) holistic view of the experience without focusing only on simple superimposition of the virtual material but considering how to work with this material in ways that make up an engaging encounter with the past.…”

Smart Glasses-Based Personnel Proximity Warning System for Improving Pedestrian Safety in Construction and Mining Sites

“…Since then, Sony, Microsoft, and Epson have also announced smart glasses [29]. Smart glasses are used in various fields including healthcare [30][31][32], training [33,34], logistics [35,36], and tourism [37,38], with many commercially available products. Detailed information on commercially available smart glasses have been reported by Syberfeldt et al [39], as shown in Table 1.…”