Metaverse and Museum: A Case Study

The Metaverse concept has developed so rapidly in recent years that it has also reached the cultural sector by defining new ways of visiting museums, archaeological parks, exhibitions and other events. The objective of this research paper is to present the experience conducted with the MAV - Museo dell'Artigianato Valdostano located in Fènis in Valle d'Aosta, which saw the design and implementation within the Metaverse of an exhibition space containing digital artistic artifacts obtained by digitizing real ones. The purpose of the virtual museum is to create a complementary environment to the real one, expanding its potential for enjoyment and enhancing its contents globally. In this paper, an attempt was first made to define, through a study of the state of the art, which technologies underlie the Metaverse and which make the visit a realistic and immersive virtual experience. Then, the methodology for defining the exhibition space and its art objects was identified based on the studies conducted. As a first step, the objects to be displayed in the virtual museum were digitized and modelled, through dedicated software, using laser scanner-based scanning methodologies. Once the digital element was obtained, the virtual museum environment was modelled within which the objects were placed. Next, an in-depth study of the interaction between humans, space, and objects was conducted to study how the avatar, guided by the user, relates within a virtual space, and based on the feedback provided by the users' use of the space, the final organization of the museum arrived. At this stage, the fundamental concept of interaction emerged, which was implemented and highlighted by applying motion and audio triggers to make the environment more immersive. For optimal viewing of the space, while also being accessible through classic devices such as smartphones or PCs, a six-degree-of-freedom visor was used to accentuate the sense of presence within the environment.