Living the Past: Augmented Reality and Archeology

Archeological remnants in urban areas tend to be included in the urban landscape or even remain hidden in subterranean locations which are not visible and, for these reasons, they are accessed with difficulty by visitors. In our previous experience, we developed a mobile application, which guided visitors in real time through various archaeological sites using texts, images, and videos. The results of an evaluation test which collected visitors' impressions and suggestions showed us that the mobile application allowed them to visit archeological remnants in a more participative way but that most visitors were unable to imagine what relation the archaeological remnants had with the ancient urban landscape. To solve this problem and improve the visitors' experience, we are now working at another application, which combines historical and archeological details with an immersive experience. The mobile application recognizes a cultural heritage element by image recognition or by positioning and it augments the interface with various layers of information. Furthermore, the application will provide not only information but it will offer to visitors an emotional experience.