Augmented reality technologies in the museum: new opportunities and meanings

Current trends in museum work include the search for creative solutions in the use of digital technologies in the museum space. Analyzing innovative museum projects, the article reveals the possibilities of using augmented reality technologies in order to breathe new life into the traditional exposition without modernizing it. A mobile application developed by the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, allows you to enrich the perception of an extensive collection of animal skeletons through 3D models. When pointing the mobile device at the exhibits, they are superimposed on their real images and allow you to get an idea of what the animals looked like, as well as to understand their functional anatomy. The next step in the development and implementation of this idea can be considered the project «Revived», created in 2021 at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Here, the visitor is offered, wearing augmented reality glasses, to see animals that have become extinct through human fault. This unusual encounter takes place in the museum’s gallery dedicated to species that are extinct or endangered. Augmented reality technologies help the visitor to appreciate what humanity has lost forever, make him feel responsible for preserving the nature of the planet. The educational mission of such projects is especially important in relation to the museum’s work with children, adolescents and youth.