Interactive Mixed Reality Technology for Boosting the Level of Museum Engagement

Abstract

Holographic immersive technology such as ‘Mixed Reality’ is nowadays extending in the cultural heritage sector to open new prospects to engage visitors in museums. This paper investigates the level of engagement in the museum space by conducting observations and time consuming at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. An interactive mixed reality system named ‘MuseumEye’ was developed and used Microsoft HoloLens as a mixed reality head mounted display to boost the level of engagement with the exhibited antiques. This system was experienced by 171 of the Egyptian museum visitors and another observation was conducted to record their behaviours and the time they consumed next to each antique. Results of this study showed the time consumed to engage with holographic visuals and the exhibited has been increased 4 times compared to the time the visitors consumed before without using technological gadgets. The implications of these immersive technologies can be an important vehicle for driving the tourism industries towards achieving successful engaging experiences.