The Computer History Museum (CHM) today announced a new, enhanced augmented reality public mobile tour of its landmark “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing” exhibition. Leveraging Google's Tango technology with GuidiGo’s new augmented reality (AR) platform, the museum experience is now enhanced with additional AR content powered by Tango-enabled phones. This 3-D mapping and AR technology provides new ways for visitors to engage with “Revolution,” allowing them to view real-size 3-D animations of artifacts, information, insider stories and gallery directions.
This one-hour tour features 31 of the most important artifacts and stories from the exhibition’s 1,000+ unique artifacts. Narrated by NPR correspondent Laura Sydell, this tour features insider stories from CHM staff and volunteers, voices of computer pioneers such as Gordon Moore and Ed Catmull, historical images, and beautiful photographs of computing artifacts. Visitors can use Lenovo Phab 2 Pro powered by Tango to experience a virtual demonstration of the popular Babbage Engine, one of the first automatic computing engines. This highly detailed 3-D model of Babbage's Difference No. 2 allows visitors to explore it from every angle and even zoom in to see high levels of detail. Video hot spots provide a curated demonstration of the engine's various features.
The introduction of the Tango-powered tour is just one of a series of enhancements CHM has deployed for visitors. GuidiGo also provides an easy-to-use tour map that guides visitors through the “Revolution” experience. “In combination, these new technologies allow CHM visitors to explore the Museum's unique artifacts more deeply, almost as if they have their own personal virtual docent at their side every step of the way,” said Kirsten Tashev, Vice President of Collections and Exhibitions.
The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, is a nonprofit organization with a four-decade history as the world’s leading institution exploring the history of computing and its ongoing impact on society. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computer history and is home to the largest international collection of computing artifacts in the world, encompassing computer hardware, software, documentation, ephemera, photographs, and moving images.
The Museum brings computer history to life through large-scale exhibits, an acclaimed speaker series, a dynamic website, docent-led tours, and an award-winning education program. The Museum’s signature exhibition is “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing,” described by USA Today as “the Valley’s answer to the Smithsonian.” Other current exhibits include the “IBM 1401 Demo Lab,” “PDP-1 Demo Lab,” and “Where To? A History of Autonomous Vehicles.”
For more information and updates, call (650) 810-1059, visit www.computerhistory.org, check us out on Facebook, follow @computerhistory on Twitter, and read the Museum blog @chm.
PR Team
pr@computerhistory.org
(650) 810-1059
