i-MareCulture project, Horizon 2020.
Michaela Reinfeld.
The i-MareCulture project (Advanced VR, iMmersive serious games and Augmented REality as tools to raise awareness and access to European underwater CULTURal heritagE) was funded by the European Union as part of the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. The aim of the project is to make underwater archaeological sites, which are inaccessible to non-divers, tangible and perceptible for a broad public through digital technologies.
Recently, it has become possible to dive down into the Xlendi Bay (Gozo Island, Malta) using the “Dry Visit – Xlendi Shipwreck” app. The visitor awaits a Phoenician shipwreck from the 7th century BC which he can explore using an underwater vehicle.
If this is “too deep”, you should try a visit to the Underwater Archaeological Park of Baiae (near Pozzuoli / Naples, Italy). The remains of Roman villas are only about 5 to 6 m deep and can also be visited virtually using an app. Virtual reconstructions give an impression of the appearance of a Roman villa.
[Image: @2019 3DResearch, iMARECULTURE. Testing of the underwater AR tablet. Special thanks to the Underwater archeological park of Baiae for the pictures]