Design and Preliminary Evaluation of a Touchless Interface for Manipulating Virtual Heritage Artefacts

In this paper, an interactive virtual reality (VR) system, realized with the aim of improving the dissemination and presentation of cultural artefacts, is presented. By using off-the-shelf devices, the system provides the users with an interface where a computer generated representation of a cultural artefact can be manipulated in a touch less way. The proposed system could be a useful instrument complementary to a visit to an actual exhibition without requiring any structural intervention, and allowing the user to become an active actor, able to enjoy different prospectives and all the details of the artefact. The paper describes the hardware and software system components, and details the interface specifically designed to obtain a simple and immediate exploration of a cultural heritage artefact. Furthermore, the paper provides the results of a preliminary evaluation of the usability of the interface which revealed up a significant difference between younger and older adult users.