HoloLens has been used in all kinds of places for all kinds of reasons, but one VR and AR lab in Japan is using the Microsoft headset to help people learn about art. This is yet another cool use for HoloLens, showing off the educational power of the headset.
The Japanese lab responsible for this use of HoloLens is known as hakuhodo-VRAR. Their “MR Museum in Kyoto” project provides the HoloLens experience to those who visit the Kennin-ji in Kyoto Japan, one of the oldest temples in the nation. The experience is a 10-minute long dynamic, holographic narrative, helping visitors understand Kennin-ji’s sacred artwork The Folding Screen of Fujin and also Raijin by Tawaraya Sotatsu. You can see a part of it in action below.
Vistors who opt for the experience will have a holographic Kennin-ji monk guide them through the experience. Thanks to Hololens, they also see contextual, digital descriptions populate the dedicated temple room. Microsoft goes into more detail:
One of the most compelling experiences is seeing the world’s first 3D renditions of works from the same Fujin and Raijin theme by Ogata Korin, Sakai Hoitsu and other artists of the Rinpa school who were inspired by Tawaraya Sotatsu. Each was produced 100 years apart and they are physically in several separate museums, but in this experience, you get to see them all side by side in very high resolution and in compelling 3D holographic images. The result is a remarkable blend of historical artifacts with bleeding-edge mixed reality technology that provides an all-new, engaging way to appreciate and understand one of Japan’s national treasures.
According to Microsoft, hakuhodo-VRAR is the first HoloLens project in Japan to advantage of the Mixed Reality Capture Studio. Safe to say this experience can take your visit to the Kennin-ji in Kyoto the next level. Is this a project you’d like to see in more museums? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
