All along my fifth and final year of studies, I spent a lot of time thinking about digital experiences that could potentially fit in a museal environment. Unlike VR, MR and AR are powerful technologies that have the benefit of immersing the users in digital content while keeping the surrounding reality for the experience. It can be achieved with various techniques such as projection mapping, a mix of positional tracking and stereoscopic projection
In relation to my Natural History museum interactive researches, I created an interactive and playful topographic map projection, used in combination with moon sand, a chemically-treated sand that displays an hypnotic behaviour. The combination of tech and a physical element such a sand offers a very satisfying experience for the user. .
Augmented reality can take the shape of a simple projection mapping on an object. For instance, a PVC tube company asked us to help them setup a PR experience showcasing engineering and logic behind their new products. The experience was then to be showcased in public shows.
I created a digital fluid-simulation projected on the PVC structure, showing the water flow and how the new pvc pieces were acting to reduce the noise engendered by the water fall. The company engineers were very enthusiasts about this solution and considered it conveyed their work in an innovative and engaging way.
Still using the Kinect V2 (which is a very interesting piece of hardware, basically a depth-sensing camera), I also created an augmented reality mirror that turns the user into a prehistoric man, thus offering him a digital reflection of his 50-000 year-old self
