Archaeology in your living room – with the Institute of Prehistory and Protohistory’s AR project
After the launch of the virtual rooftop museum, the Institute of Prehistory and Protohistory (Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, short UFG) is already gearing up for the next innovation in science communication: Augmented Reality (AR) – ARrcheology! Launched in March, the Project UFG-AR managed by Dr. Carsten Mischka and Dr. Marcel Weiß is bringing archaeological objects and sites to the living room.
The website of the Institute provides QR codes for mobile devices that allow users to view objects in 3D – and the list of objects is ever-growing. Not only can you place a virtual prehistoric hand axe on your desk and study it, but you can also visit sites like caves or gravel pits from the comfort of your living room. “We are treading new didactic paths with this,”, says Dr. Carsten Mischka, “the technology enables us to provide object-oriented classes to our students.”
Dr. Marcel Weiß adds: “Due to the pandemic, this the third semester in a row in which excursions are not possible. Augmented Reality is enabling our students to experience new objects or to examine a cave, at least virtually.
If you are interested in trying ARcheology for yourself, you can find the AR models here: