Professor Bob Stone discusses his work using new technologies like drones and immersive displays for digital heritage projects. His team has created virtual reconstructions of historic sites like Stonehenge, Scylla, and various locations in Devon like Burrator Reservoir and Wembury Bay. He cautions that immersive technologies are overhyped and have limitations, especially in outdoor environments. Stone emphasizes engaging stakeholders and designing experiences and content before implementing technology.

1. High-Tech Drones and “Immersive”
Displays: Exploiting New Technologies for
Digital Heritage
Prof. Bob Stone
Director, Human Interface Technologies Team
r.j.stone@bham.ac.uk OR profbobstone@aol.com

2. VR/AR Main Project Areas
www.birmingham.ac.uk/stone and www.birmingham.ac.uk/hit-team
DEFENCE
HEALTHCARE & MEDICINE
HERITAGE

3. Virtual Lowry, 1995
Virtual Stonehenge, 1996
Apart From a Few Early Attempts …
Virtual Scylla, 2006

4. Restorative Natural
(Forest/Coastal)
Environments for Healthcare
Healthcare is Where it all Started
2010 ….

5. Healthcare is Where it all Started
2010 ….

6. The Places We Chose …
Wembury Bay
Burrator & Sheepstor

7. Bygone Days & Experiences
from Local Inhabitants and Societies

8. Virtual Burrator

9. Virtual Burrator Halt

10. Augmented Lancaster Over
Burrator Dam

11. RAF Harrowbeer
The “Return” of Harry Truman

12. Burrator Reservoir
What Lies Beneath

13. Burrator Reservoir
What Lies Beneath

14. The MUSV Survey Project
With Thanks To …

15. The Burrator MUSV Survey
Project

16. Burrator Initial Survey Area

17. Import into Unity5 for
Real-Time Visualisation

18. Import into Unity5 for
Real-Time Visualisation
Sheepstor
Bridge
Sheepstor
Road
Drake’s
Leat
Quarry
Remains
Steam Crane
Track
Essworthy Farm
River
Meavy

19. Virtual Wembury

20. The 1909 Wembury Docks That Never
Were

21. The 1909 Wembury Docks That Never
Were

22. Virtual Wembury Evening
13 December 2012

23. If the Docks Had Gone Ahead …

24. HMS Amethyst Returns

25. Also a Possible Visitor to Wembury
Docks?

26. The Virtual A7 Project

27. The 2014 Summer Dives

28. The A7 Wreck Model

29. The Maria (1774)

30. The Virtual MARIA

31. Hint … We Would Love to
Do This … ;o)

32. The GLAUCUS (September 1965)
Colin Irwin

33. The Virtual GLAUCUS Project

34. James Egan Layne
(March, 1945; U-399)

35. Drone (sUAV) Technologies for
Heritage
Pix4D Topographical Reconstruction
from Aerial Video)

36. Drone (sUAV) Technologies for
Heritage

37. Hooe Lake (Plymouth) Wrecks

38. Aircraft Crash Sites – The Next
Challenge (Foxtor Mire)
Westland Whirlwinds P6975 & P6978
(29 December,1940)

39. Aircraft Crash Sites – The Next
Challenge (Foxtor Mire)

40. The Anne (1678)

41. AR Via Quad-/Hexacopter

42. The Virtual ANNE
First-Person Viewing Version

43. The “Augmented ANNE” Challenge
Tablet Viewing (Beach Level)

44. The “Augmented ANNE”
Challenge
sUAV Viewing (Aerial)

45. The “Augmented ANNE” Challenge
sUAV / Drone Viewing (Aerial)

46. The “Virtual & Augmented ANNE” Project:
Public Engagement: 12 December 2014

47. The “Virtual & Augmented Mayflower”
Project
VR, AR, Avatars, Drones,
Public Engagement ...

48. • “Immersion”, “immersive” environments – they do NOT exist!
• NOBODY has invented the Holodeck, despite ridiculous claims online.
• Wearable technologies (e.g. Head-Mounted Displays, gloves, etc.) – ONLY if the application
and the human factors issues dictate that they are totally necessary (and safe to use!)
• CAVEs/Domes/Theatre-like facilities – appropriate applications? Expense? Functionality?
Academic experiences – the VIP plaything!
• 3D/Stereo viewing – over-hyped. 56% of the population who are between 18 and 38 years
of age have one or more problems with binocular vision.
• Engage and enhance experiences through good content design and stakeholder (public)
engagement, not by showing off “Gucci” interface devices.
Lessons Learned - Virtual
Reality

49. • AR works well in the lab and in cities, but in coastal/rural areas?
• Registration techniques – which are best for the outside world?
• Wearable technologies – have a long, long way to go ...
• “Future Google Glass” (and emerging competitors) – do not hold your breath.
• Mobile technologies – developing well, but limitations in the outside world (again – safety?).
• Engage and enhance experiences through good content design and regular stakeholder
(public) engagement, not by showing off “Gucci” interface devices.
Lessons Learned – Augmented
Reality

50. • Digital/Virtual Heritage presents significant development and
implementation opportunities and challenges – multiple contexts of use – museums, galleries,
town centres, open fields, vegetation-dominated sites, coastal paths,
underground, underwater …
• Memories are short! We’re seeing an almost-identical “techno-push” repeat of the 1990s.
• Particularly problematic with relatively cheap interactive technology coming from crowd-
funding initiatives (e.g. Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc.).
• Too many people believe what they see in “gizmo” newsfeeds online and on YouTube!
• Define end user requirements and content before implementing technology – ALWAYS.
• Be aware of digital exclusion due to remoteness of communities.
• Understand your target audience(s) – their knowledge, skills and attitudes. Work with the
end users – involve the public – not just at the beginning and end of a project, but
throughout.
To Conclude …

51. Prof. Bob Stone
Human Interface Technologies Team,
University of Birmingham (UK)
r.j.stone@bham.ac.uk OR profbobstone@aol.com
www.birmingham.ac.uk/stone
www.birmingham.ac.uk/hit-team
YouTube: https://goo.gl/3893RS
Thank you!