Mixed reality annotations system for museum space based on the uwb positioning and mobile device

Abstract

In this research, the authors designed a mixed reality annotations system based on UWB positioning and mobile device, which is a low-cost innovative solution especially for wide range of indoor environments. This design can be targeted to solve the problem of low investment in museums in most parts of the developing country and large visitor flow during holidays. The position of the visitor is obtained through the UWB antenna tag which was attached on smartphones. The gyroscope data and focal length was also used to keep virtual camera and real camera consistent and virtual space’s calibration. The system can ensure that when there is a large flow of people, visitors can watch the multimedia annotation of exhibits on their phones during the queuing far away from the exhibits. The types of annotation are mainly video, 3D model and audio. In China, many museums have the function of science education. A rich form of annotation can enhances this functionality. At last, we compare and analyze the localization advantage of this system (to solve the problem of congestion and shortage of funds), and recruited 10 volunteers to experience system. We find that this system can achieve the exact matching standard when the visitors are 0.75 –1 m away from the exhibits, while when the visitors are more than 3 m away from the exhibits, it has the advantages that other systems cannot have, such as playing and watching videos when they cannot get close to the exhibits due to crowding. This system provides a new solution for the application of MR in large indoor area and updated the exhibition of museum.