A Look Into How Technology is Transforming Museums in 2023
When we think about museums, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a quiet room full of artifacts from long ago. But that’s not the case anymore! In 2023, technology is going to transform the museum experience. From interactive exhibits to virtual reality tours, museums are now more exciting, engaging, and immersive than ever. In this article, we’ll take a look into how technology is transforming museums and what the future holds for this industry.
Experiential museums and the use of immersive technologies
Visitor experiences in museums will be enhanced through the use of immersive technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and holograms. This will create a more engaging and interactive experience, allowing visitors to explore and appreciate the history of the museum.
For instance, using augmented reality, visitors can bring to life a painting on the wall and explore different elements in ways that traditional museum visits couldn't. Holograms could be used for educational purposes, enabling visitors to learn about the history of certain artifacts that may not be physically present in the museum. Virtual reality can also provide an interesting and interactive tour guide by incorporating audio and visuals.
The use of these exciting technologies will create an unforgettable experience for guests and help museums become more engaging and vibrant places.
The "Reading Public Museum" in Pennsylvania has developed a hologram installation that allows the mummy Nefrina to "come to life" and tell its life story to visitors.
Tracking guests in a smarter way with visitor flow management tech
Museums' visitor flow management technology helps institutions understand how crowds move throughout their buildings. The data is used to contextually improve the visitor experience by taking into account information and preferences (including, but not limited to, content, interests, needs).
Also, by introducing these innovative tracking technologies, museums can guarantee that visitors have an enjoyable and secure experience while learning about all the amazing art, history, and culture on display.
Last, but not least, when combined with AI technology, visitor flow management tech can automate people flow, allowing for better route-making and reporting.
Heatmaps generated by Hidonix MIT museum software
Creating ‘Digital twins’ to preserve and replicates art pieces
Photogrammetry is the new frontier of preserving and replicating art pieces. Objects can be photographed from multiple perspectives or angles at once, and then used to create accurate digital models of an object.
It’s a process of preserving physical objects by freezing them in a moment in time, like a fragment of a time machine. But it also allows visitors to interact with museum objects, satisfying their need to touch and manipulate them.
A good example of using this technique is the Anglo Sikh Museum’s collection of virtual objects, which can be rotated and moved in 3D within a browser and have ‘hotspots’ providing further information.
AI to organize museum catalogs and collections
Among the various departments of museums, there is a dedicated department for curating and organizing collections and facilitating access to them to the public. This means having to carry out an in-depth study of the works to try to recreate connections not only within the collections themselves but also with others in the museum.
But what if this was taken care of by AI?
For an artificial intelligence algorithm, it is extremely simple to recognize recurring visual or chromatic elements, associate them with a current or an artistic expression and thus create more coherent collections and catalogs.
Wrapping up
In conclusion, it's clear that technology is transforming the way museums operate and is allowing them to provide much more immersive, engaging, and interactive experiences for their visitors. From AI-driven chatbots to virtual and augmented reality displays, museums are using technology to help bring their stories and collections to life in a way that appeals to a wider audience than ever before. The future looks exciting for the museum sector in 2023 and beyond, as new technologies continue to be developed and embraced.