MuseIT

With the broader ambition of equality, democratisation and social inclusion, MuseIT proposes technologies that facilitate and widen access to cultural assets, and helps preserve and safeguard cultural heritage in an inclusive way.

CERTH contributes with its interdisciplinary research team in the design of an inclusive multilayered and multisensory virtual museum, under the disciplines of virtual museology, as well as with the development of the virtual cultural space, by using the pipeline of the creative industry of videogames. Through immersive technologies, the inclusive virtual museum will be available as an experimental space for tests and extensions through electroencephalograms and wearable devices, as well as for haptic integrations. The expertise of the CERTH team in previous relevant projects in digital cultural heritage is being applied and extended via the MuseIT project.

Actronika contributes in the development of advanced interactions in virtual spaces, through the use of cutting-edge technologies and devices from the emerging sector of haptics. Actronika’s technologies can be integrated in a plethora of devices, such as smartphones to enhance the user experience, vehicle touchscreens to curb distraction while driving, game controllers to improve immersion. By developing technologies that use vibrations to create tactile sensations, they are designing new ways of accessing digital content and enhancing user immersion.

The MuseIT project aims to co-design, develop, and co-evaluate a multisensory, user-centred platform for enriched engagement with cultural assets with inclusion and equal opportunity for all as core principles. The MuseIT innovation is rooted in multisensory representations of cultural heritage, which extend beyond the visual and auditory senses. The scientific and technical innovation proposed in the project is aimed at enriching the accessibility for, and inclusion of all while interacting with cultural heritage assets and historical archives. The proposed innovation will be validated within the project through a stakeholder consultation systematically achieved using participatory approaches and the adoption of co-design principles. Such community interactions will by design involve people living with disabilities. Formal user requirements aggregated from stakeholders will be leveraged to formalise the specification of the MuseIT scientific innovations.

The MuseIT consortium comprises 9 partners from European Union member countries and 2 associated partners, from the USA and the United Kingdom. This multidisciplinary consortium brings together organisations from cultural, technological, research and user communities.