1. Museum Virtual Reality (VR) is an immersive experience, requiring a headset.
2. Museum Augmented Reality (AR) adds an effect to an experience not requiring a headset.
3. While Virtual Reality (VR) is more immersive although it requires more hardware (headset), Augmented Reality (AR) provides more freedom for the user (using a tablet, smart phone or computer station). AR is revolutionizing the interaction between the user (museum visitor) and content.
4. Examples of museum VR:
British Museum Virtual Reality Tour with Oculus
The Met Cloisters, Small Wonders: The VR Experience
Google Arts & Culture App, Museum Virtual Tours
The Natural History Museum, London tour with Sir David Attenborough
Smithsonian American Art Museum Renwick Gallery WONDER 360
5. Examples of museum AR:
American Museum of Natural History Explorer
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Immersion Room
Casa Batlló Virtual Augmented Guide
Clevland Museum of Art Artlens
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Walk Among Dinosaurs
Resources:
1. Virtual reality at the British Museum: What is the value of virtual reality environments for learning by children and young people, schools, and families?
2. Museums and Virtual Reality: VR in the Grant Museum
3. 20,000-year-old artifacts, 21st-century technology
4. Take a Fantastic Virtual Reality Voyage into a 500-Year-Old Gothic Sculpture
I am currently working on three Augmented Reality (AR) museum exhibits please contact me if I can assist with your exhibit.
Please add any additional examples in the comments below, thanks! – Mark