ARNav: AR-Powered Navigation at Chennai Egmore Museum

‍Introduction

In today’s fast-paced world, museum visitors are often faced with the challenge of navigating large, complex spaces. To improve this experience and provide a seamless journey through the Chennai Egmore Museum, we’ve developed a cutting-edge AR (Augmented Reality) navigation app. This blog post takes you through the details of our app, how it enhances the museum experience, the technology behind it, and the steps we took to bring it to life.

Why AR Navigation in Museums?

Museums are cultural treasure troves, but they can sometimes be difficult to navigate, especially for first-time visitors or those unfamiliar with the layout. Traditional static maps and signage are limited and may not provide enough guidance. AR navigation solves this by offering an interactive and immersive way to explore the exhibits.

• Instant Access to Information: AR navigation allows users to easily access real-time information about artwork, exhibit placement, and museum features.
• Enhanced Experience: Interactive features such as virtual markers and detailed overlays provide visitors with a more engaging and informative experience.

The Vision for Chennai Egmore Museum’s Art Gallery

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The Chennai Egmore Museum is home to some of the most significant art collections in India. However, the building's complex layout, with diverse galleries, posed a challenge for effective navigation. Our goal was to create an app that could guide visitors efficiently, allowing them to:

• Find their way to specific exhibits quickly
• Learn more about the artwork and artists through interactive AR elements
• Enhance their overall visit without the need for a physical guide

How the AR Navigation App Works

Our app leverages Augmented Reality to create a user-friendly, interactive map of the museum. Here’s how it works:

1. Getting Started: When users open the app, they are prompted to scan a QR code located at any of the museum’s buildings. Scanning the QR code retrieves data specific to that building, including information about its exhibits, layout, and features.
2. Exploring Exhibits: Once the QR code is scanned, the app displays a list of exhibits within the building. Each exhibit is accompanied by a short description, helping users choose what to explore first.

3. Navigation to Exhibits: After selecting an exhibit, the app guides users to their chosen destination using a clear navigation line overlaid in the real-world environment through their device screen.
4. Interactive 3D Floating Windows: Upon reaching the desired exhibit, users are presented with a 3D spatial floating window that provides additional details about the exhibit.
5. Continuous Exploration: Once users finish exploring the current exhibit, they can either delve deeper into its features or select a new exhibit to navigate to, repeating the process seamlessly.
6. Personalized Routes: The app can be customized to offer different routes based on the user's interests, whether they’re more interested in historical art, contemporary pieces, or sculptures.

The Technology Behind the AR Navigation App

Building an AR navigation app involves several layers of technology and integration. Below are the key components and technical steps involved in the development of this app:

1. AR Framework: ARKit & ARCore

For an immersive AR experience, we used ARKit (for iOS) and ARCore (for Android) as the primary AR frameworks. These frameworks allow for real-time object detection, environmental understanding, and spatial positioning, which are crucial for providing accurate and interactive navigation.

• ARKit: Leveraged for iOS devices to create 3D maps of the museum and accurately detect user positions as they move through space.
• ARCore: Used for Android devices to achieve similar functionalities, ensuring cross-platform compatibility.

2. Custom AR Measurement Tool for Museum Layout

Instead of relying on pre-existing 3D models or Floor plans, we developed a custom AR measurement tool specifically designed for this project. This tool enabled us to directly capture the real-world dimensions of the museum space and accurately map the layout without traditional architectural resources.

• Markers & Distance Calculation: We implemented a marker-based approach within the AR framework. By strategically placing AR markers around the museum, we measured the distance between them, as well as the dimensions of walls, floors, and rooms. This allowed us to directly measure key spatial data to help with our mapping efforts.
• Custom Tool Features: The tool was designed to be both flexible and precise, with functionality that allowed users to place multiple markers and automatically calculate distances between them. It also supported the measurement of angles and room layouts, which was vital for creating accurate maps of the museum’s complex structure.
• How It Works: Using the camera’s live feed, the tool overlays digital markers in the real-world environment, providing instant measurements between markers. We were able to walk through the museum, placing markers in strategic spots, while the tool recorded the measurements and distances in real time.

3. Building the 3D Model: Unity & ProBuilder

After capturing the measurements and layout data, we translated this information into a 3D model of the museum using Unity and the ProBuilder tool.

ProBuilder tool by Unity

• ProBuilder: ProBuilder allowed us to build a detailed, interactive 3D model of the museum directly inside Unity, using the measurements we collected. This approach was fast and efficient, letting us visualize and tweak the museum’s spatial structure as we worked.
• Creating the Layout: The 3D model included floors, walls, rooms, and exhibit spaces, which formed the navigational basis for the app. The flexibility of ProBuilder allowed us to refine the structure with custom dimensions, ensuring the model matched the real-world measurements as closely as possible.

4. Spatial AR Floating Window for Exhibit Details

One of the most engaging features of the app is the spatial AR floating window, which appears when the user reaches a target exhibit. This dynamic window provides rich, interactive content related to the artwork, giving users more information about the exhibit in a way that integrates seamlessly into their surroundings.

• How It Works: When the user approaches a specific artwork or exhibit, the app automatically detects the target and triggers the floating window. This window appears as a floating 3D overlay, anchored in space near the artwork. Users can move around the exhibit, and the window will stay fixed in place, offering details in context.

• Content Displayed: The floating window features various types of content, including:
  
  • Textual Information: Descriptions, artist biographies, historical context, and more.
  • Multimedia: Images, videos, or audio clips that offer deeper insight into the artwork, such as video interviews with artists or curators.
• Interactive Features: The floating window is interactive, allowing users to swipe through images, play videos, or tap for more detailed information. It enhances the museum experience by offering contextual knowledge in an intuitive and engaging way.
• User Experience: The floating window adapts to the user’s position and perspective, ensuring that it is always visible without obstructing the artwork. It creates an immersive experience where visitors not only see the art but also interact with it digitally in a way that enhances their understanding.

5. Pathfinding Algorithm

One of the biggest challenges in the development process was designing an efficient and responsive pathfinding algorithm. We needed to ensure that users could be guided smoothly through the museum, without getting lost or having their paths interrupted.

• Algorithm: We implemented an A* (A-star) pathfinding algorithm, which is efficient in navigating through a network of nodes (rooms and galleries). This allowed the app to find the shortest, most intuitive path between the visitor and their desired exhibit.

• User Experience: We also added the ability to reroute visitors in case of unexpected obstacles (e.g., a crowded space or closed exhibit), ensuring that the navigation is always optimal.

6. Real-Time Data Integration: Backend API

The app is integrated with a backend system that provides real-time data about exhibits, galleries, and museum events. This allows the app to update in real time based on changes in the museum layout or schedules.

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Backend Technologies: We used Node.js with Express.js for building a robust backend API, handling data such as exhibit descriptions, schedules, and other dynamic content.

Database: MongoDB served as the database to store exhibit information, user preferences, and historical data on art pieces.

Syncing with Museum Database: To ensure data accuracy, the app regularly syncs with the museum's existing CMS (Content Management System), allowing the team to update exhibit information without needing to release an app update.

7. User Interface Design:

The design of the app needed to be intuitive, clean, and easy to navigate, especially in a museum setting where users may have limited time to learn how to use the app.

• Tools Used: Figma for wireframes and user interface design.
• Design Focus: Minimalist design that doesn’t distract from the artwork while still providing essential information. Large, readable fonts and clear icons were used for better usability in a crowded, dynamic museum environment.

8. Testing and Optimization:

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Testing AR-based apps can be tricky, especially in environments with varied lighting and spatial challenges. To ensure that the app provided accurate AR navigation, we conducted extensive testing in the museum itself.

• Beta Testing: A group of users tested the app on different devices, and we worked to optimize performance on both high-end and lower-end smartphones.
• Lighting and Calibration: We optimized the AR feature to work under various lighting conditions, ensuring stable tracking and accurate pathfinding.

The Future of AR in Museums

This AR navigation app is just the beginning of how technology can transform the museum-going experience. In the future, we envision adding features such as:

• AR-guided tours led by virtual avatars of artists or curators.
• Interactive games and quizzes to engage children and families.
• Integration with social media to share visitor experiences.

Conclusion

Our AR navigation app reimagines the way visitors experience the Chennai Egmore Museum. With the power of augmented reality, we’ve created a more interactive, informative, and user-friendly way to explore this cultural gem. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned art lover, the app is designed to enhance your journey and deepen your understanding of the artwork on display.

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