An Augmented Reality Mobile App for Recognizing and Visualizing Museum Exhibits

Abstract

Augmented reality (AR) offers a novel way to enrich museum visits by deepening engagement and enhancing learning. This study presents the development of a mobile application for the Abylkhan Kasteyev State Museum of Arts (Almaty, Kazakhstan), designed to recognize and visualize exhibits through AR. Using computer vision and machine learning, the application identifies artifacts via a smartphone camera and overlays interactive 3D models in an augmented environment. The system architecture integrates Flutter plugins for AR rendering, YOLOv8 for exhibit recognition, and a cloud database for dynamic content updates. This combination enables an immersive educational experience, allowing visitors to interact with digital reconstructions and multimedia resources linked to the exhibits. Pilot testing in the museum demonstrated recognition accuracy above 97% and received positive feedback on usability and engagement. These results highlight the potential of AR-based mobile applications to increase accessibility to cultural heritage and enhance visitor interaction. Future work will focus on enlarging the exhibit database, refining performance, and incorporating additional interactive features such as multi-user collaboration, remote access, and gamified experiences.