"Do touch!" - 3D Scanning and Printing Technologies for the Haptic Representation of Cultural Assets: A Study with Blind Target Users

Bruns A, Spiesberger AA, Triantafyllopoulos A, Müller P, Schuller BW (2023)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2023

Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery, Inc

Pages Range: 21-28

Conference Proceedings Title: SUMAC 2023 - Proceedings of the 5th Workshop on the analySis, Understanding and proMotion of heritAge Contents

Event location: Ottawa, ON, CAN

ISBN: 9798400702792

DOI: 10.1145/3607542.3617351

Abstract

Visiting museums can be challenging for visually impaired people, as many objects are hidden behind glass walls and information is limited to descriptions. One of the best ways to increase accessibility and inclusion in museums and other cultural heritage institutions is through the use of 3D-printed replicas. However, there are several different scanning and printing processes that not only differ in terms of effort and cost but can also produce very different results. This paper evaluates two different scanning techniques and four different printing processes in terms of these aspects and includes feedback from a group of blind and partially sighted users on the aesthetic quality and fidelity of the printed objects. We found differences between the scanning methods mainly regarding their ease of use. Of the printing methods tested, stereolithography was preferred by the majority of participants for use in the museum. Additionally, we include user comments which touch on the general aspects of presenting museum artefacts using haptic devices. Our study thus provides valuable insights into the preferences of the target users, which can be used to inform decisions about more inclusive museum experiences.

Authors with CRIS profile

Patric Müller Lehrstuhl für Multiscale Simulation of Particulate Systems

Involved external institutions

Imperial College London / The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine GB United Kingdom (GB) Universität Augsburg DE Germany (DE) University of Auckland NZ New Zealand (NZ)

How to cite

APA:

Bruns, A., Spiesberger, A.A., Triantafyllopoulos, A., Müller, P., & Schuller, B.W. (2023). "Do touch!" - 3D Scanning and Printing Technologies for the Haptic Representation of Cultural Assets: A Study with Blind Target Users. In SUMAC 2023 - Proceedings of the 5th Workshop on the analySis, Understanding and proMotion of heritAge Contents (pp. 21-28). Ottawa, ON, CAN: Association for Computing Machinery, Inc.

MLA:

Bruns, Arne, et al. ""Do touch!" - 3D Scanning and Printing Technologies for the Haptic Representation of Cultural Assets: A Study with Blind Target Users." Proceedings of the 5th Workshop on the analySis, Understanding and proMotion of heritAge Contents, SUMAC 2023, Ottawa, ON, CAN Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, 2023. 21-28.

BibTeX: Download