Lumin content was created by the DIA’s interpretive team leveraging GuidiGO’s new augmented reality platform, AR Composer, built specifically for Tango. This allows the user to interact with real size 3D animations, information and display directions in the visitor’s field of view.

Lumin connects visitors with artworks in a global context beyond the DIA,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “Augmented reality allows the user to see the unseen, imagine art in its original setting and understand how objects were used and experienced in people’s everyday lives. It is an exciting way to incorporate the latest technology into the visitor experience.

Visitors will hold a Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, the first Tango enabled phone, to explore different works of art. The initial phase of the project includes seven tour stops with a variety of AR experiences, including:

A Mummy, from Ancient Egypt

Mummies give us insights into ancient burial rituals. With the app’s AR overlay, you can peer beneath the sarcophagus and even the mummies’ bandages to explore an X-ray-like view of the skeleton.

The Ishtar Gate, from Ancient Babylonia

The Ishtar Gate once stood six stories high. Now, with the power of Tango’s motion tracking technology, you can explore the gate at scale, walk under its arch, and see where the Detroit Institute of Art’s 3×4-foot mosaic piece fits into this architectural wonder.

A limestone Relief, from Mesopotamia

The limestone relief was originally painted with vibrant colors, which have long since faded. By looking through your Tango enable device, you can tap on the relief to see what it would have looked like when it was first created thousands of years ago.

A Cylinder Seal, from Mesopotamia

Small round cylinder seals were once used to make impressions on clay for items like jewelry and signatures for administrative purposes. Now, instead of just seeing the seals in a case, you can roll the seals in AR to see the written characters and figurative scenes that they create.

WANT TO SEE LUMIN IN ACTION? CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEOS.

This is just the beginning of how you’ll be able to use Tango in museums to see more, hear more and learn more – in other words, to experience museums around the world in a whole new way.

“Lumin” in the Press:

• Hyperallergic: More Screens, More Knowledge: Testing the Detroit Institute of Arts’ New Augmented Reality App >>
• Fortune: Google Wants To Give Museum Visitors A Pokémon Go-Like Experience >>
• Venture Beat: Google opens Tango augmented reality platform to museums, starting with Detroit Institute of Arts >>
• The News Herald: Augmented reality adds dimension to art at DIA >>
• The Economist: Futurism: museums and technology >>
• Geek: Detroit Institute of Arts Enriches Museum Experience with Google Tango >>
• Tom’s Hardware: Google’s Project Tango Heads To The Detroit Institute Of Arts >>
• CNET: Google’s project Tango AR lets museum visitors delve deeper >>
• Tech Crunch: A Detroit art museum is leveraging Google Tango for an AR history lesson >>

Since 2013, however, significant advances have been made. Innovators such as Oculus, and more recently Google, with “Cardboard”, are about to make virtual reality a household name—and this time for good, or so it seems.

There’s a simple explanation for this: virtual reality technology is now more accessible because prices have literally plummeted. With the arrival of Google Cardboard, a cardboard box that costs less than $10 is all it takes to transform any smartphone into a virtual reality device. And if you’re feeling especially luxurious, you can purchase a plastic version for only $60 :)

Accessible technologies will completely transform the way Virtual Reality is used

Simple, but no less remarkable, the little magic box was born in Google’s Paris offices, thanks to two engineers: David Coz and Damien Henry. Inspired by the Durovis Dive headset, the box took center stage in June 2014 at Google’s annual I/O developers conference. Since then, Google Cardboard apps crossed 15 million downloads. Last month, the New York Times sent a million Cardboards to its subscribers, giving them access to exclusive content. This is just the beginning of the trend, and it promises to be phenomenal.

We are entering an era in which not only visualization technologies like Cardboard will become prolific, but we will also see an increase in software and hardware like Jump, Giroptic or even the Cardboard Camera application, which simplify the creation of VR enabled content. Such technologies will completely transform the way virtual reality is used, much like smartphones revolutionized the way we use photo and video.

A fantastic tool for teleporting a visitor… during his or her visit!

Here at GuidiGO, we’ve been looking into these technologies for over a year. The idea was to explore different uses for virtual reality that would enrich the experience of visiting museums and historical sites in addition to existing interpretive content. We hosted several “hackathons” on site to test new concepts and create prototypes for new interfaces. After a few surprises, and lots of fun (it takes a bit of time for the brain to adjust to sensations it’s not used to!) several fascinating possibilities emerged. In the end, we all reached the same conclusion: virtual reality would be a fantastic tool for teleporting a visitor… during his or her visit! “What’s the point of teleporting a visitor?” you might ask, “Why not let the visitor simply enjoy whatever is on display, in real life, with his or her own eyes?” We believe both experiences are fully compatible. Imagine the following scenarios for just a moment (some of which are already available):

• You are in a gallery at a Natural History museum, looking at the skeleton of a Triceratops. Suddenly, the animal comes to life, transporting you to the Cretaceous period. And there to your right, look out! Behind you, even above your head…enormous dinosaurs are moving all around you. You suddenly feel very small.

• You are visiting a museum on the history of aviation. How would you like to take the control wheel of Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis in your hands? You’re surrounded by the cockpit, the pilot seat, the control panel, and all of the instruments—just as if you were really there. In front of you, the sky and clouds fly by.

• You are visiting a World War I battle site, and there you are in the muddy trenches, listening to the sounds of war, as soldiers move about, telling you about their daily experiences and fears.

• You are visiting the Empire State Building. How would you like to experience the atmosphere of the construction site when this legendary skyscraper was being built? Around you, men are working on the beams, while 1930s New York spreads out below your feet. We hope you’re not afraid of heights!

These are only a few examples, of course. Each site will be free to come up with whatever is most likely to make their visitor experience particularly memorable: explore the temple where an ancient statue was originally located; visit the reconstruction of a site that no longer exists (Pompeii, the Bastille prison, etc.); discover a place closed off to the public (the Lascaux caves, the Oval Office, etc.)

Virtual Reality takes the visitor to the heart of an immersive sensory experience

Art museums will be no exception. Virtual reality is also capable of teleporting you into Renoir’s studio, or into Monet’s gardens at Giverny. You’ll be able to observe artists as they work, or hear them tell you about their masterpieces. You may also soon be able to experience artwork made up of both real and virtual components – or even be transported straight into a painting or the visual universe of its creator (e.g., Van Gogh’s universe)… because admit it, we’re not the only ones who have thought about passing through the canvas! Soon you’ll be able to explore a work from the inside, and brush shoulders with its characters. Here’s your chance to attend, along with all the glamorous spectators, the coronation of Napoleon or the Marriage at Cana :)

Another fun and educational use for virtual reality is to let the visitor “walk” through a life sized timeline in order to situate a work in its historical and artistic context.

There’s a strong chance this new paradigm will be an important influence on the scenography of museums. It’s easy to imagine a few virtual reality headsets taking the place of more cumbersome installations. The headsets could even be connected to one another to allow a group to simultaneously share the same experience.

Virtual reality is still evolving, but one thing is sure: the possibilities are infinite. Not only does it allow us to travel in time and space, but it also opens up imaginary dimensions that would be inaccessible without it, like the most intimate aspects of a work of art. Virtual reality takes the visitor to the heart of an immersive sensory experience that is extremely stimulating to the imagination and memory, allowing you to form a deep connection with the place you are visiting.

On the same subject: “Virtual Reality has arrived at GuidiGO!”

Museums that wish to offer a Glass experience – the way they would rent an audio tour – only need to buy Glass and activate the GuidiGO Glassware. By not having to build their own Glassware, museums save time and money, and can focus on their core activity.

Designed to be non-intrusive and hands-free, GuidiGO uses image recognition to identify unique works of art and display additional relevant content (audio, video and images), while visual cues allow visitors to discover what is invisible to the naked eye.

GuidiGO already has 250 guided tours in 27 destinations ready for Glass, from the Impressionist history of Montmartre, to the magic of the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, and the hidden secrets of San Francisco!

“GuidiGO is reinventing guided tours, and effectively replacing audio guides,” said David Lerman, the CEO of GuidiGO. “It’s like having a personal human guide with you all the time. A unique experience that’s only possible with GuidiGO for Glass.”

GuidiGO’s glassware required more than 500 man-days to develop, including prototyping with two major museums on the West Coast – an Art Museum and a Science Center.

“Glass Rooms”, an educational program to help museums migrate to Glass

To help Museums and cultural institutions migrate their content to Glass, GuidiGO will launch this summer the “Glass Rooms” educational program with free webinars, workshops, and personalized customer support.

“GuidiGO will also provide assistance to Museums and cultural institutions that would like to offer Glass to their visitors, on an on-going basis or just as a one-off event,” added Lerman.

Google just announced that it has selected GuidiGO for its Glass at Work program. Museums and cultural institutions who wish to offer Glass to their visitors, now have access to a turnkey solution.

This cutting edge solution enhances the visitor’s connection to artwork with amazing, multidimensional storytelling, bringing the museum experience to a whole new level.

Over the last 6 months GuidiGO has conducted several successful pilot programs with two major museums on the West Coast – an Art Museum and a Science Center, working closely with curators, education and visitor departments to create the most advanced intuitive Glassware.

A revolutionary experience for museum visitors

Designed to be nonintrusive, GuidiGO for Glass offers a revolutionary learning experience for museum visitors, without interfering with the works of art. Images and videos automatically appear at the most appropriate times during the narrative audio, visual cues allow them to discover what is invisible to the naked eye, image recognition identifies the artwork and automatically launches the right content. In addition to image recognition, GuidiGO for Glass provides indoor navigation and positioning, enabling visitors to enjoy a tour without worrying about where to go next… and, of course, totally, hands free!

“GuidiGO Glassware is not just a variation of the smartphone and tablet application” points out Damjan Stankovic, Head of User Experience at GuidiGO, “We have completely redesigned our solution to take advantage of Glass features and the specific needs of visitors. Via our platform, and with no technical skills, every museum and cultural site can now easily publish their existing content, automatically optimized for Glass.”

Create immersive guided tours for Glass at the speed of light

Indeed, one of GuidiGO’s major strengths is that it offers any cultural institution the opportunity to create immersive guided tours for Glass at the speed of light. GuidiGO Studio, the online publication tool, assembles existing content – audio, images, videos, maps – and avoids lengthy and costly technological creation and development.

“The museums that participated in our pilot program were surprised, not only by the ease of use of GuidiGO Studio, but also by the autonomy that it gives them,” continues David Lerman, CEO of GuidiGO. “Being able to test out a tour which has just been created, directly, in the Galleries, and then tweak it again and retest it, in less than 15 minutes, provides a productivity edge that has impressed the museum management and their teams.”

The new voice command “Start a tour”, specifically requested by GuidiGO, will now appear alongside the already famous “Take a picture” and “Get Directions”.
GuidiGO will soon be available through MyGlass. This means museums and cultural sites will be able to access the Glass technology and make it available to their visitors without writing a single line of code.

“One of our main objectives is to make art and culture more appealing to the greatest number of people,” says David Lerman. “We believe that GuidiGO for Glass can contribute to this greatly by giving museums and cultural sites the ability to offer more emotions to their visitors.”

Museums and cultural sites who wish to make their tours available for Glass Explorers can do so, free of charge, with a standard plan. Museums wishing to offer Glass to their visitors can choose from various licensing options.

With the technological possibilities available today, there’s definitely room for improvement.

This is what inspired GuidiGO to create an audio and visual software specifically designed for Google Glass in the museum context. A hands-free device you wear like eyeglasses and that provides you with synchronized visual and audio information on artwork seen. Free from external distractions or obligations, the visitor is now free to just enjoy the museum experience.

Just a couple of days ago we tested the tailor-made GuidiGO software or, more appropriately, Glassware at de Young Museum of San Francisco with a group of happy volunteers. The GuidiGO team was most proudly participating in the audiovisual guided tour experience!

This was the first time ever in history that more than 30 Google Glass devices were gathered together at the same place, at the same time, and all of them running the same GuidiGO Glassware.

So what should you expect from a museum tour experience with GuidiGO for Glass and how exactly does it work?

Glad you asked. Above all, we wanted to create an audio and visual guided tour that neither altered your relationship with the artwork nor your museum experience as a whole.

The de Young Museum Experiment

At de Young Museum, the actual hands-on experiment was exhilarating. Half of the participants were Google explorers who owned their own Glass and half were users handling Glass for the very first time. The ones who’d been initiated elsewhere, and already appreciated the Glass experience, became “new” users once again in situ. On a real high, they were all thrilled to be a part of an exceptional and unique experience.

Since GuidiGO for Glass is a Stand Alone Device, the participants didn’t need their smartphones or a WiFi network connection for that matter. They also didn’t have to lug around a heavy phone-type device around their neck.

With the Glassware’s simple 4-step Tutorial, it took new users only about 10 seconds before they had a good grasp of device controls. After these initial few minutes of adjustment, everyone gradually became so connected to their experience that some had even forgotten all about the device posed atop their noses, leaving only the artwork in the spotlight.

Thanks to the Image Recognition System the users could simply enjoy their time at de Young Museum and weren’t bogged down with the constant number searching and keying a traditional device demands. Needless to say, this hands-free function was a huge hit among participants. And why wouldn’t it be? It offers such freedom of movement that everyone is naturally immersed all the way their museum experience, pristine and undisturbed.

The device is also Gallery Friendly because voice control has been purposely left out of the Glassware, so no worries for noise disturbance during the tour either.

For us, it was satisfying to see that none of the participants had any problems finding their way around the museum rooms, thus confirming the efficiency of the built-in Assisted Navigation System. Ordinarily the chances that a user would get lost in a given museum are unlikely considering the system’s indoor map and real navigation with indoor positioning thanks to iBeacon (bluetooth LE), now supported by Google Glass.

Finally, it was easy to see that the participants weren’t locked down by the GuidiGO Glassware during the de Young experiment and were able to stay in contact with their entourage and even converse freely during their tour.

Offering a brand spanking new approach to experiencing museums and galleries, GuidiGO for Glass is the ultimate museum buddy. Without a shadow of a doubt the developments we’re making today are paving the way to a new generation of art and cultural heritage mediation!

Main Takeaways of the Live Test

First of all, it feels and looks invisible. That’s right folks, you heard me straight. It’s exactly what Astro Teller, the Google X boss, said in the recent TechCrunch Disrupt Conference in New York. For technology to work better, we need to get it out of the way! Granted there should be an adjustment period of a few minutes where your nose gets used to the Google Glass sitting on it, but it was designed in such an unimposing way that it won’t be a pain to wear nor will it alter your museum experience. Nothing should come between you and the artwork.

Not only is the device comfortable to wear but it’s “comfortable” to use. With its no-frills and convenient design, the user will be able to navigate through the program and the museum like a pro in no time.

GuidiGO for Glass is also frictionless, meaning everything should be smooth sailing from the moment you put on the Google Glass until you take it off. We developed an “Exploring Mode” function which sets the device on a permanent ready-to-scan state which activates the image recognition option. You won’t need to have your finger swiping the Google Glass every single moment. Let the device do all the heavy lifting. Your job is to enjoy the ride.

To further ensure that interference is minimal during your experience, the synchronized audio and visual commentary is contextual and not always ON the whole time. When appropriate it’ll automatically turn itself ON, and all of this depending on the context. See it as an exhibition guardian angel of sorts. When you need help, it shall appear. Your museum experience will be as natural and unadulterated as it can be.

For authors, our app also allows for easy content update. Thanks to GuidiGO Studio, visual and audio tweaking of tour content is only an easy few clicks away. The content isn’t embedded but downloaded and processed in real-time, so changes submitted are immediately effective and visible.

For visitors on the other hand, not only should it be easy to use but the app shouldn’t feel burdensome in any which way, shape or form, to keep their experience intact and authentic.

With GuidiGO for Glass, the dark days of bothersome audioguides are over!