Terracotta Warriors Receive Augmented Reality Treatment from the Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute is rolling out the augmented reality carpet for the arrival of the Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor exhibit, which will open on Sept. 30 in Philadelphia.

Sponsored by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Enhancing Views of History: Terracotta Warriors and Augmented Reality will educate visitors about the archaeological discovery of the famous burial site in China as well as the history of the warriors and artifacts found there.

After announcing the exhibit earlier this month, The Franklin Institute unveiled more details about the augmented reality experience designed this week.

Visitors with The Franklin Center mobile app for iOS or Android installed on their devices will be able to unlock secrets by scanning items within the exhibit with their camera.

Terracotta Warriors Receive Augmented Reality Treatment from the Franklin Institute — To create the augmented reality content, the 3D scanning team used a structured light system, which involves rapidly flashing patterns onto a subject for software to read and interpret the shape. *Image via The Franklin Institute*

Through the app, visitors can point their devices at eight of the ten original statues on display and view 3D renderings of how the statues would have appeared when they were originally sculpted more than two millennia ago. The app also reveals digital recreations of weapons and other objects and insight on the archaeological process of deducing their history from the discovered evidence.

The 3D scanning team used structured light system and photogrammetry to recreate models, with the textures of the statues enabled the team to capture the subjects with clarity. The scanning data from the two capture methods is fed into the same type of 3D modelling program used to create computer-generated images in big-budget films.

The exhibit will remain in residence at The Franklin Institute until March 2018.

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