An immersive experience that brings dinosaurs to life using the latest Augmented Reality (AR) technology is now available at the Taipei City-based National Taiwan Museum (NTM) until Nov. 30, 2022. While an app called marq+ App is designed to enhance the experience for visitors inside the museum, users can test it out by downloading it to enjoy an animation surprise.
Named "AR Museum Guide – National Taiwan Museum," the program uses the technology to reconstruct the museum's collections of the ancient creatures and add a third dimension to its displays, providing a learning experience that appeals to both children and adults.
Visitors can download marq+ App and use the camera on their cell phone or tablet to have an interactive experience in a designated space where they can see dinosaurs from the collection virtually animated. With the app, which superimposes images to reconstruct the dinosaurs, users can see how skin and muscle would have looked over the bones, and how the ancient reptiles would have moved.
With the applications of AR technology that show reality and an altered version side by side, the program transports visitors to the Mesozoic Era. The museum also offers 40 tours using indoor positioning technology to allow independent navigation.
NTM Director Hung Shih-yu (洪世佑) said that in order to give visitors a better understanding of the contents of exhibitions, NTM has drawn support from the tech sector to create a multi-sensory, interactive setting that not only provides a closer look at the exhibited items, but also boosts viewers' engagement.
"In the past, museums used multimedia technology as a display medium, which failed to offer a more realistic take on the displayed items. Now with the use of AR technology, the process that sees muscle over the ancient creatures' bones as well as the reconstruction of the dinosaurs can be faithfully displayed," said Kiko Hsiao (蕭語富), the executive of Mr. Fossil, one of the participating organization that makes the years-long program possible.
The museum will launch more interactive programs with different themes in the coming weeks. Visit here for more details.
'AR Museum Guide – National Taiwan Museum'
Date: July 30, 2020 – Nov. 30, 2022
Time: 9:30am – 5:00pm (Closed on Mondays)
Venue: National Taiwan Museum's Natural History Branch
Address: 25 Xiangyang Rd. Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)
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