Transforming museum exhibits using interactive mixed-reality

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Authors: Minghao Ren
Cited by: 1

Abstract

Museums play a crucial role in preserving and communicating cultural, historical, and scientific knowledge. However, traditional exhibition methods often limit visitor engagement and comprehension. This research investigates how mixed-reality (XR) technologies (integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computer Graphics (CG)) can transform visitor experiences within museum environments, with a focus on the Hunterian Museum’s Science Collection. Building on these insights, a prototype mobile and mixed-reality application was designed and developed to enable immersive exploration of artefacts in 3D, interactive storytelling, and adaptive learning experiences. The system architecture integrated wearable interfaces, edge computing, cloud services, and AI-driven modules for speech recognition, natural language processing, and personalized recommendations. After finishing the implementation of my App, functional and performance evaluations are operated. It identified optimal solutions for enabling natural user interaction, while user studies demonstrated significant improvements in engagement, comprehension, and satisfaction compared to traditional exhibition methods. The findings indicate that AI-enhanced XR applications can provide inclusive, dynamic, and educational museum experiences, bridging the gap between physical artefacts and visitor understanding. This research contributes a practical framework for integrating immersive technologies into museum practice and offers insights for future developments in adaptive, user-centered digital heritage experiences.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Augmented Reality Applications Museums and Cultural Heritage Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts

Publication details

Journal / source
Enlighten: Theses (The University of Glasgow)
Publication date
1 January 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Thesis