Natural Interaction Design for Navigation in Virtual Environment of Sino-Portuguese Architecture in Museum

• Main Author: Kosin Kalarat
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Walailak University 2019-11-01
• Series: Walailak Journal of Science and Technology
• Subjects: Virtual Reality; Virtual Environment; Natural Interaction
• Online Access: http://wjst.wu.ac.th/index.php/wjst/article/view/6493

Virtual Environment (VE) is an artificial environment created for providing the information in Virtual Reality (VR). The audiences are able to obtain the information via interaction to the environment. Virtual Reality for Culture heritage buildings, which are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present, is the interested topic because its contents often built for giving the information and knowledge about the past to the new generation in museums. However, there is a limit of Virtual Reality (VR) applications reproducing cultural sites that are not success in catching public’s attention and involvement. In this research, we focus on using Natural Interaction (NI) interfaces base on body movement in Virtual Reality for museums to grab attention from audience and increase public’s involvement. This paper presents the development of Natural Interaction using Microsoft Kinect to define of a new grammar of gesture for Sino Portuguese Architecture which is a cultural heritage of Thailand. Results of early tests are improving the prototype in progress for allowing more complexity, however, with natural interchanges and connection between users and virtual world. Finally, the system has been installed to represent Sino Portuguese architecture at the Peranakannitat museum.