University of Hong Kong starts using immersive tech for archaeology
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is becoming a pioneer in archaeology by using 3D interactive technologies to dig at historical places. Using mixed reality (MR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets together is changing the way historians do fieldwork. They can now collect digital 3D data and connect with dig sites in ways that were not possible before.
Archaeology has been thought of as a destructive study as valuable objects are taken away. However, these technologies are helping archaeology by preventing needless damage to old remains. HKU shows how virtual technology has the ability to change this field in a big way.
Archaeology is the study of human history through the digging up of things like bones, tools, and the remains of buildings. Digital 3D models have been used a lot to record discoveries, but historians haven’t used them nearly enough in their study and fieldwork. The use of immersive technologies at HKU aims to change this story by making it possible to use 3D data in more useful ways than just for public shows and museum exhibits.
The team uses tools like the Microsoft HoloLens 2 and the Meta Quest Pro to mix real-world mining with 3D models. AR smart glasses make their job easier by adding information to the lenses. They have cameras and mics built in to collect data in real time. During active dig, these tools help take pictures, make notes through voice recognition, and give one the freedom of not having to use their hands to hold trowels and brushes.
These technologies were used in one of the team’s groundbreaking projects in Armenia to find stone walls and clay vessels. With MR glasses, archaeologists could see structures that had been moved back to where they belonged. This helped them decide where to dig next and make comparisons between parts of buildings that had been found at different times.
The team has used MR devices in the field and also to compare 3D-scanned pottery pieces with real artefacts, even ones that aren’t on show in museums. In their view of the future, AI will help put together pieces of objects by studying their shapes.
Hayk Azizbekyan, a PhD candidate at HKU’s Faculty of Arts, is in charge of the project. He thinks that using virtual technology in excavation is a huge step forward. His work shows how MR and AR headsets can help archaeologists work directly in the field, giving them new ways to study and protect cultural artefacts.
The team sees this project as a vision for the future because it gives them new ways to look at and understand the past. The Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology (JCAA) has written about their discoveries and progress.
By using interactive technologies, HKU is showing how traditional and new can be combined in archaeology. This will change how scholars look at history and keep it safe for future generations.
