Mobile augmented reality in the museum: Can a lace-like technology take you closer to works of art?

This paper describes the results of experiments conducted during museum visits with a mobile guide using markerless augmented reality. It aims to study how such a tool can transform the activity of visiting a museum. First, we present a model of the activity of visiting a museum which has emerged both from the state of the art and also from a number of observations made by the author. This model is comprised of two types of activity experienced by the observer of an artwork: sensitive activity and analytical activity. We then explain the methodology of the experiments and the results. We identify three schemes of interaction between the visitor and the mobile guide, and we describe these schemes and their impact on the activity of visiting a museum. Finally this model allows us to determine future directions for the design of mobile augmented reality tools for visiting museums.