Augmented Reality and Museums: Where Past Meets Future
Marco Santana • Dec 11, 2023

Extinct animals roaming your city. On-screen navigation to find your favorite exhibit. Biographical information on artists while walking around the art museum.


Augmented reality has changed the landscape for enhancing a visitor’s experience in their favorite museums. Museums have become one of the more natural adopters of augmented reality technology, using their incredible content to create amazing experiences.


Here is a list of some of the cool things that some of the more historic museums in the world have done with augmented reality.


How are museums using augmented reality - The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., uses AR to bring extinct animals back to life. Visitors can use the museum's "Skin and Bones" app to point their smartphones at dinosaur skeletons and see the animals come alive in AR. That’s wicked.


How are museums using augmented reality - The British Museum: The British Museum in London uses AR to allow visitors to explore ancient artifacts in new ways. Visitors can use the museum's "AR Experience" app to point their smartphones at artifacts and see them come to life with animations and information.

How are museums using augmented reality - The Louvre Museum: The Louvre Museum in Paris uses AR to help visitors navigate the museum's vast collection. Visitors can use the museum's "Louvre Lens" app to point their smartphones at different areas of the museum and see information about the exhibits.


How are museums using augmented reality - The National Gallery of Art: The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., uses AR to provide visitors with more information about the paintings in its collection. Visitors can use the museum's "AR Frame" app to point their smartphones at paintings and see information about the artist, the painting's history, and the painting's techniques.


How are museums using augmented reality - The Field Museum: The Field Museum in Chicago uses AR to help visitors learn about nature and science. Visitors can use the museum's "AR Experiences" app to point their smartphones at exhibits and see animations, videos, and other information.


How are museums using augmented reality - The Museum of Modern Art: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City uses AR to help visitors learn about modern and contemporary art. Visitors can use the museum's "MoMA AR" app to point their smartphones at artworks and see information about the artist, the artwork's history, and the artwork's meaning.


How are museums using augmented reality - The American Museum of Natural History: The American Museum of Natural History in New York City uses AR to help visitors learn about the natural world. Visitors can use the museum's "Oceans" app to point their smartphones at exhibits and see animations, videos, and other information about marine life.


How are museums using augmented reality - The Exploratorium: The Exploratorium in San Francisco uses AR to help visitors learn about science and technology. Visitors can use the museum's "Explora AR" app to point their smartphones at exhibits and see animations, videos, and other information about scientific concepts.


These are just a few examples of how museums are using AR to enhance the visitor experience. AR is a powerful tool that can be used to make museums more engaging, informative, and accessible.


Why AR has had an impact on the museum industry's reach:

AR has been making museums more accessible to a wider range of people. AR can be used to create immersive and engaging experiences that attract new museum visitors. AR can also be used to provide visitors with more information about the exhibits, which can make museums more educational and enjoyable.


In addition, AR can be used to create interactive exhibits that can help visitors learn more about the museum's collection. This can make museums more appealing to children and families, who are a key demographic for museums.


Overall, AR is a powerful tool that can help museums reach a wider audience, engage visitors more deeply, and make museums more educational and enjoyable.

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