Bringing ancient history to life challenges even the best of guides.
Especially when the site is little more than a pile of crumbling
stones. But research in Greece shows that a novel combination of
audiovisual and communication technologies - turning reality into
'augmented reality' - can enhance visitor experience by rebuilding
historical locations in front of their very eyes.
In the run-up to the 2004 Olympic Games, it seems appropriate that
Ancient Olympia in Greece should become the test site for a unique
European initiative. Under ARCHEOGUIDE, a 34-month project that
ended in October 2002, a consortium of seven partners from Greece,
Germany, Italy and Portugal assembled innovative hardware and
software solutions into three different types of interactive mobile
device.
Armed with any one of these units, fans of cultural heritage can
now admire Olympia's architectural glories, as they looked several
thousand years ago. The remains of once-grandiose temples -
including foundations and colonnades - majestically develop
automatically on-screen into complete virtual buildings as users
approach. Audio commentary over headphones completes the historical
picture.
The ARCHEOGUIDE devices have already impressed one history teacher.
"I toured Olympia with each of them and found the experience very
compelling," recalls Ms Malliou, from the Ellinogermaniki Agogi
private school in Athens. "Compared to a standard guide book, they
offer visitors a different perspective and create a sense of wonder.
" She felt sure her own students would benefit from using such
technology in their history lessons. But she hoped that future
devices would be smaller and lighter than their present
incarnations.
More than technicalities
The project's system calls on client-server architecture,
comprising a site information server, mobile units and a
communication infrastructure. The server stores all audiovisual and
textual information about the site and its monuments. These data
are accessed by the mobile units, which request information
according to user preferences, position and the tour selected.
Three mobile devices have been tested. The largest is based on a
laptop computer, which users carry in a rucksack. The computer is
linked to a D-GPS (differential global positioning system)
receiver and digital compass, which together track the user's
position and orientation. Also attached are a PC camera, capturing
live video from the user's viewpoint, and an augmented reality (AR)
head-mounted display (HMD) . The HMD comes as a pair of
see-through sunglasses, for viewing AR worlds.
Added realism
The system's clever part is the augmented reality. "AR systems have
been studied for several years, but mostly in indoor environments,"
says Dr Vassilios Vlahakis, from INTRACOM, the Greek company
responsible for the project's central server, network
infrastructure and the integration of systems on the mobile devices.
"Unlike virtual reality, where 3D models are projected onto a
synthetic world, AR systems project 3D models onto a real
background, seen with a user's eyes or a video camera that tracks
the user's gaze." He adds with pride: "You are not cut off from
reality by AR."
The project tested several headset viewing devices. All of them
change the image perspective as the user moves around the site. The
second-generation glasses, similar to binoculars, were lighter and
more compact than the original HMD and preferred by users such as
Ms Malliou. She liked the ability to alter the transparency of the
model "making it easy to compare the virtual reconstruction and the
real scene."
The two other units utilised, a tablet PC and palmtop computer,
are smaller. They render 3D reconstructions of Olympia's ruins on
their screens. Users interact with both by touching the screens,
selecting data of interest or consulting a digital map to navigate
around the area.
Completing the system is the communication infrastructure. A
wireless LAN, based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, transfers
audiovisual content from the server to the mobile units. The second
network facilitates user-tracking, by providing point-to-point
wireless links from the D-GPS reference station to the mobile
units' associated receivers.
AR images were displayed at rates of around 15 frames per second.
"This is satisfactory during normal head motion," says Vlahakis,
"but a higher rate, ideally 30 frames/second, would be better
during faster motion in order to achieve real-time display speed."
The system was optimised for computing power rather than weight,
mobility and robustness. "AR has only become possible in recent
years, thanks to advances in chip and real-time graphics processing
power," admits Vlahakis. Emerging technologies such as speech and
gesture recognition will improve interactivity on future mobile
units, doing away with the need for external input devices. This
will help people with limited computer skills.
Through data personalisation, users can select what they want to
see or learn as they move around a site: a great way of avoiding
information overload. Cartoon characters can be employed as
information presenters in the display system, to hold children's
attention. Imagine seeing the Olympic Games as they originally were,
with avatar athletes competing against each other in the stadium
of Olympia amongst spectators and real visitors. This too is
possible with ARCHEOGUIDE. Features like these, believe the
developers, will bring together the worlds of education, research
and entertainment - making cultural visits a more enriching
experience.
Potential markets for ARCHEOGUIDE's expert personal guide system
include museums, culture ministries and heritage sites. Its AR
platform and components can find applications in industrial
training, university education and mobile computing applications.
Multimedia database technologies and data management can be applied
to all industry sectors that handle large multimedia data volumes.
More specifically in archaeology, the database and the authoring
tools could help archaeologists plan excavations, perform virtual
monument and artefact reconstructions and reuse multimedia content
in other applications (e.g. tourist guide publishing) .
"We are actively searching out commercial partners and outlets,"
says Vlahakis, who adds that the project has aroused considerable
interest from cultural heritage authorities in France, Italy,
Portugal and the Middle East.
Further demonstrations of the system - parts of which could also be
employed on CDs and websites - are scheduled in Ancient Olympia,
central Athens and elsewhere in the coming months.
Subject Descriptors : Communications networks, Information transmission
Subject Index Codes : Telecommunications, Information Processing, Information
Systems
Subject Class : IT, telecommunications
Remarks : Results entry form
Collaboration Sought : Marketing agreement
Collaboration Detail : Seeking partners that have an interest in developing
custom-made
mobile computing solutions that could serve as AR platforms.
Initial contacts have already been made with major hardware
manufacturers as well as research groups specializing in similar
applications.
Sources of Support : CEC
Programmes : IST
Projects : IST-1999-11306
Project Title : Augmented Reality-based Cultural Heritage On-site Guide
Contact Details
Contact Name : VLAHAKIS, Vassilios
Contact Organisation : INTRACOM SA Hellenic
Address : 19.5 km Markopoulou Ave
PO Box 68
City : Peania
Region : ATTIKI
Postcode : 19002
Country : GREECE
Telephone Number : +30-210-6671434
Fax Number : +30-210-6677312
Electronic Mailbox : Vvla@intranet.gr
