This page shows how all the virtual activities of the ViRS Museum (did you miss them? Go to The VISIT section) can really be implemented with the state-of-the-art technologies.
For each suggested item (projector, headphones, motion sensors, vr headset and so on) an exact cost is always indicated. If possible, two options are proposed as well, one relating to the high-cost solution and one to the low cost one.
Some of them carrying an emotional storytelling. And some of them enriched with motion sensors activated by gestures.
In his cabin, over the real reconstruction of his ship, children and school groups can make live Captain Marcus asking him questions about sea deities, navigation routes and ancient food by means of a touch screen.
An experience that exploits the AR technology to get the 3D models of the reconstruction of two real artifacts - helmets and armours -, correlated with information texts and images related to them.
An amazing 10-minutes sinking experience structured as a full immersive projection all around the visitors, situated on a walkable glass observation bridge. The projection sees the crew fighting against huge waves and Neptune's capricious and unpredictable will.
An interactive customization game of fish and/or amphorae, made on touchscreen; here, historical learning is combined with bio-marine learning.
The core of ViRS, a high level game for up to four players, each of them provided with an HTC Vive VR headset. Goal: finding Captain Marcus' wedding ring for Livia.
1.a. Projections without motion sensors
Projections without motion sensors are the simplest kinds of technologies present in ViRS Museum. They feature an easy data acquisition and processing, which varies depending on the content of the projection. There can be:
(All the other projections that were not mentioned above are part of the following section, related to 'Motion sensor projections').
1.b. Motion sensors projections
In the case of motion sensors projections, the data acquisition of the setting/background and of the characters/animals (in the first case, the crew of the ship, and in the latter option, the fish) remains the same as in the previous section, related to simple and plain projections.
In ViRS Museum, visitors can interact with motion sensors projections in three areas:
The following section shows and explains the different kinds of technologies suggested for the creation of the two previous types of projections.
Low-cost:
Epson EH-TW7300, with 4K technology, contrast ratio of 160000:1 and 2300 Lumens, + compatible
Support for ceiling mounting.
Epson EH-TW7300: 1,895.64€.
Support: 156.65€.
High-cost: Optoma EH505E, with 5000 Lumens, full lens shift,
RoomView® compatible, CMS (Colour Management System) + compatible Support for ceiling mounting.
Optoma EH505E: 3,441.53€.
Support: 81.25€.
Low-cost: Orbbec Astra Pro, a device that brings depth sensing to a connected computer, for providing computer
vision that enables face recognition, gesture recognition, human body tracking, three-dimensional measurement and environment perception.
$149.9.
High-cost: Open Pose: software hosted on GitHub that can use any plain
webcam to track in real-time the human body, face, and fingers of many persons with very high accuracy.
Free for personal use, $25,000/year for commercial use.
LEFTEK 5MP 3.6MM P2P Pan/Tilt IP, with 5 megapixel
camera, color: 0.005Lux, viewing angle 100° and range and pan speed: 355 ° continuous rotation.
95.59€.
In this section a disposition of projectors, motion sensors and dome cameras is armonized and placed in the context of the biggest room of ViRS Museum, the Underwater Room.
Necessary articles:
The same dynamic applies to the other room that features projectors with motion sensors: the trio 'projectors + motion sensors + dome cameras' (+ a central computer, of course) must be positioned, therefore, also in the Navigation Room.
Low cost:
GeChic 1503E 15.6 inch FHD 1080p Portable Monitor: full HD 1920x1080 and an excellent 'hands-on' mobile display, light-weighted and extra-slim.
$249.99.
To minimize the expense, the touch screen should be mounted on a simple piece of furniture made of wood or plastic. No chair should be provided, as the game is done from standing.
High cost: MagixKiosk™: can be adjusted easily into four form factors (good for children and for visitors in wheelchairs).
Slim and robust.
32’’HD high brightness LED display.
Up to 40 simultaneous touch point detection.
8319,29 €.
The 360° VR immersive experience without headsets needs outstanding projectors, loudspeakers and special effects made by hidden fans.
For a total number of approx. 10 projectors.
RoomView
Creston RoomView ® is a software that allows to synchronize, turn on / off, monitor, manage and control up to 250 projectors
simultaneously from one computer.
Free of charge for up to 25 projectors.
5,000$ for more.
Other software that guarantees multimedia synchronization are available on the market, but this is free under 25 projectors,
the maximum number that goes beyond that estimated for this room.
Audio (ceiling)
Built-in speakers that are hidden on the ceiling and on the walls, flat and white like them so that they mimetize and can let projections pass over them.
Low-cost: Apart CMX20DT:
a two-way built-in loudspeaker that produces a deep and warm sound ideal for speech and music, with thin edge grille with neodymium magnets in order to create an easy and discreet installation.
94€.
Audio (walls)
Low-cost: Indiana Line Tesi Q.
190€.
High-cost: Bose ® Virtually Invisible 591.
622,22€.
Moreover, regarding special effects, little hidden fans also suggest the presence of the wind, while nebulizers can spray water to simulate the fall of sea wave drops.
The user interface of this experience is designed according to a user centered design (UCD) approach in order to make it easy to use and intuitive. The AR interface superimposes an information layer over the images captured by the tablet camera. It includes the 3D models of the reconstructed artifacts (helmets or armors), text (historical information about them) and images (Roman soldiers with full-armors and helmets).
This AR experience is marker-based: it uses a two-dimensional pre-defined screen placed near the artifact (helm or armour) in order to help guide the camera pose estimation process.
The workflow is divided in three fundamental steps:
Mapping from underwater images is difficult due to inconsistent lighting conditions, the change of refractive index and the color loss due to the limited penetration distance of certain wavelengths.
Strobes and underwater lights, because of the depth (42 mt) are thus suggested for photogrammetry with cameras protected by cases.
Metal tags can be used as Ground Control Points (GCPs) for georeferencing the project and help the software to find and match identical points in different images.
Suggested use of:
In particular, RealityCapture is the state-of-the-art all-in-one photogrammetry software solution which automatically extracts accurate 3D models from a set of images and / or laser-scans.
Workflow:
VR Authoring
This is a key step in the definition of the VR treasure hunt: it is the moment in which arises the prototyping of virtual reality environment for the game, among with the building and the reconfiguring of the VR space.
Devices
4 HTC VIVE VR headsets. It has been chosen this device because
it is the state-of-the-art for what regards VR headsets and because in the controller it has one big button to grab and release objects (rocks, the ring,
woods).
739€ + 140€ for each controller.
4
Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones, which are light (approx. 200 gr), with bluethooth (essential condition, with four blind people walking),
adjustable also for children and with up to 20 hours of autonomy. They also completely suffocate sounds from external areas.
379€.
Softwares are also necessary for one of the analog/traditional experiences: the little touchable 3D model of the ship.
Steps: