Dimono

Dimono is an XR project redefining paleontology exhibition in Natural History Museums, targeting GenZ audiences. Dimono aims to transform the natural history museums into a space where history meets modern curiosity, offering an immersive educational experience.

In this project, we focus on revitalizing the Dinosaur in Their Time Exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, turning it into an interactive and immersive space enriched with augmented storytelling.

The journey begins with visitors interacting with a projection at the entrance to initiate a personalized second-person perspective visiting experiences. Visitors select a dinosaur that resonates with their personality, establishing a unique connection between ancient history and their contemporary experiences. After interacting with the projection, the visitor will be guided to pick up an MR device and a customizable path collector.

Visitors trace their dinosaur embodiment’s footprints as they explore the exhibition, guided by a virtual boundary marking transitions between time periods. Educational content about this dinosaur appears on the head-up display, triggered by eye movement. Through mixed reality and spatial user interfaces, visitors engage more effectively with educational content, discovering hints about their chosen dinosaur embodiment and interacting with it using eye and motion tracking. Visitors can chat with an iconic dinosaurs, enhancing their education experience through AI-powered dialogues.

Visitors can engrave a unique feature of a dinosaur onto their path collector as they explore the spatial UI, creating personalized AR artifacts that reflect their unique journey. The Dimono mobile app allows easy recall of the experience, fostering continued engagement and sharing beyond the single museum visit.

Dimono not only redefines the museum experience for GenZ visitors but also addresses the current challenges faced by natural history museums in attracting and retaining younger audiences. More importantly, Dimono sets a precedent for the future of interactive learning in cultural institutions, particularly for natural history museums. The concept of Dimono paves the way for a new era in museum education, where interactive and immersive experiences become the norm, fostering a deeper connection between the public and the wonders of natural history.