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Detroit Institute of Arts Incorporates Augmented Reality Into Tour

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - The Detroit Institute of Arts has incorporated augmented reality into a mobile tour of the museum.

The museum recently unveiled the "Lumin" tour that uses Google technology to provide visitors with new ways to engage with the collection. Content was created by the museum's interpretive team. It allows people to interact with 3-D animations, information and display directions using a smartphone.

In the Egyptian gallery, for example, visitors can hold the device up to a 2000-year-old mummy to reveal an X-ray view of the skeleton inside.

"Lumin connects visitors with artworks in a global context beyond the DIA," Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director, said in a statement. "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."

Some stops will offer games where users look for details, solve puzzles or take simple quizzes to unlock sounds and imagery relating to the artworks.

The initial phase of the project includes seven tour stops with a variety of AR experiences. The museum plans to add additional stops based on input from visitors.

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