Mixed reality educational game in the Rogatec Open-Air Museum

With the help of mixed reality, visitors and users of HoloLens 2 glasses go into the past, where they try to find their way and find all the ingredients needed to make bread.

Posted on: 14 March 2023

Text and media by Rok Kremžar, Pro Virtuala

Digitalisation of cultural heritage has been a growing trend in recent years, allowing museums and other institutions to share their collections with a wider audience. One of the latest innovations in this field is the use of mixed reality technology and HoloLens 2 smart glasses, which enable visitors to experience cultural heritage in a whole new way. One such example is the Rogatec Open-Air Museum, which has created the world’s first and only game that uses HoloLens 2 and MR technology to showcase and bring cultural heritage to life.

The museum’s interactive game takes visitors on a journey through the history of bread-making. Using the HoloLens 2 glasses, visitors can explore and solve farm tasks in a gamified experience that reveals the effort, time, and tasks that were once necessary to create bread from a grain of wheat. By completing the tasks successfully, visitors receive rewards and gain a deeper understanding of the laborious process of making bread in the past.

This innovative approach to cultural heritage offers a fun and engaging learning experience that encourages movement and coordination skills while immersing visitors in the natural surroundings of the open-air museum. The HoloLens 2 glasses are suitable for both adults and children over the age of 7, making it a perfect family activity for those interested in history and technology.

To experience this one-of-a-kind game, visitors must reserve a time slot through the museum’s website, www.rogatec.si. The glasses are available in good weather conditions and at temperatures above 10⁰ C and below 32⁰ C also with the possibility of playing in different languages (Slovenian, English, German, Italian, Croatian, Serbian and Russian). This use of HoloLens 2 technology at the Rogatec Open-Air Museum showcases the limitless possibilities of digitalisation in the cultural heritage field and offers a glimpse into the future of immersive museum experiences.