Researchers use immersive 3D tech to document and study the human past
by The University of Hong KongThis article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
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Archaeologists from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) are revolutionizing the excavation and documentation of ancient sites with cutting-edge 3D immersive technologies.
Archaeology studies the human past through the excavation of things people made and used thousands of years ago—from architecture to objects like pottery bowls and animal bones from meals. Although many excavation projects create digital 3D models of what they uncover, archaeologists need new ways to meaningfully use those data.
Some projects share 3D models with the public as tourism and teaching tools. However, archaeologists themselves have not yet taken full advantage of these models in their own fieldwork and research.
By wearing mixed and augmented reality (MR/AR) headsets while actively digging, the HKU team is pioneering the interactive application of digital 3D scientific data at archaeological sites. MR headsets enable users to effortlessly view and interact with both the real world and 3D models integrated within it, using devices such as the Microsoft HoloLens 2 and the Meta Quest Pro. On the other hand, AR smart glasses display information on a small screen within the lenses and are equipped with cameras and microphones for hands-free data collection.
These technologies play a crucial role in the field of archaeology, often regarded as a "destructive science," where data collection involves the excavation and removal of artifacts, preventing anyone else from digging the same place again.
The HKU team innovatively applied the technologies in their fieldwork project in the South Caucasus country of Armenia, where the team often removes ancient stone walls and pottery vessels to uncover earlier remains beneath.
Professor Peter J. Cobb, an archaeologist at the HKU Faculty of Arts, emphasized the benefits of the new technology, stating, "By wearing an MR device while I dig, I can virtually see a removed wall at its original location. This helps me decide where to dig next, and I can compare, in situ, multiple sections of ancient architecture that were removed at different times."
Additionally, the team uses AR smart glasses for basic data recording such as capturing photographs and using voice recognition for note taking. Professor Cobb pointed out that "Archaeologists must have their hands free while recording data, since we need to hold our trowels and brushes while digging."
HKU Faculty of Arts Ph.D. candidate Mr. Hayk Azizbekyan, who leads this research and is from Armenia himself, explained, "MR and AR headsets have never been used before at an actual archaeological excavation project to support the digging work of a team. This is our game-changing innovation. I'm excited to experiment with future ways of studying old things and preserving cultural heritage. We call this project our 'vision for the future,' since the technology enables new ways of viewing the past."
The team also employs an MR headset to compare 3D scanned ancient pottery sherds with physical ones, aiding in the analysis of inaccessible artifacts displayed in museums. They anticipate that in the future, AI will facilitate the matching of these sherds based on their shapes.
These achievements were recently published in the Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology.
Professor Cobb said, "It was interesting, the journal faced a challenge finding peer reviewers since our approach was so novel."
More information: Peter J. Cobb et al, Experiments with Mixed and Augmented Reality (MR/AR) for Archaeological Data Collection and Use During Fieldwork: Vision for the Future, Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology (2024). DOI: 10.5334/jcaa.140
Provided by The University of Hong Kong