WIMI Hologram Academy: The Application of Virtual Reality in the inheritance and protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage

HONG KONG, April 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WIMI Hologram Academy, working in partnership with the Holographic Science Innovation Center, has written a new technical article describing their exploration of the Application of Virtual Reality in the inheritance and protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This article follows below:

After a long-time of development, human civilization has produced many excellent cultural and artistic crystals, such as buildings, cultural relics, calligraphy, and painting. And in this precious human cultural heritage, there is a type that without solid physical or entity for a long time, it is a kind of people-oriented living cultural heritage, it emphasizes the people-centered skills, experience, spirit, its characteristic is the living rheology, highlight the material properties, more emphasis on the quality of material form. This is called intangible cultural heritage. According to the UNESCO Convention on the protection of intangible cultural heritage definition: “intangible cultural heritage” refers to the community groups, sometimes individuals as a part of the cultural heritage of various social practices, concepts expression, expression, knowledge, skills and related tools, objects, handicrafts, and cultural places. This intangible cultural heritage, inherited from generation to generation, is constantly recreated as communities and groups adapt to their surroundings and interact with nature and history, providing a constant sense of identity to these communities and people, thus enhancing respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.  

The long course of human history has left many precious intangible cultural heritages. These precious intangible cultural heritage projects, most of which are on the verge of being lost.Many countries attach great importance to the transmission and protection of intangible cultural heritage items. Scientists who are from WIMI Hologram Academy of WIMI Hologram Cloud Inc.(NASDAQ: WIMI), discussed how to better inherit and protect the intangible cultural heritage through the computer tech-based virtual reality technology.

1. The significance of the application of virtual reality technology in the intangible cultural heritage

Virtual reality technology, which is abbreviated as VR, is a brand new practical technology developed in the 20th century. Virtual reality technology includes computers, electronic information, and simulation technology. It is a kind of computer simulation system to create and experience the virtual world. Usually using computer technology as the core of modern high-tech means to generate the real environment near the virtual scene, including visual, hearing, touch, and smell sensory reduction processing, users need to use some specific tools for input and output interaction, in a real natural way to interact with the virtual world things, thus the experience of the real environment and experience.

Based on relevant materials, some researchers represent the intangible cultural heritage art form through virtual reality technology. The virtual digital form is easy to use on the Internet to achieve rapid dissemination and can be preserved for a long time. Scientists promote the forms of intangible cultural heritage through emerging technological means, just like putting old wine in new bottles, in the way that young people love, so that young people are willing to contact, understand and love these intangible cultural heritage projects, and so that the intangible cultural heritage can carry forward.

2. Application Status

2.1. Make VR products in full 3D reconstruction and interactive mode

This kind of technology is the early production method in the virtual reality field, and it is also the main production method of existing virtual reality products. That is, to reproduce the object or landscape to display, and then import it into the virtual reality engine, through certain program control, to achieve 360 free viewing effects. Pure 3D reconstruction to restore the original scenery, the advantages are good interaction and rich details; the disadvantages are the reconstruction workload, and the gap between the 3D reconstruction model and the real scene, mainly static display, animation production is very difficult.

2.2. Make VR products based on mixed reality technology

Mixed reality is a representative of the new generation of computer vision technology, which is a technology-based on VR and augmented reality. At present, it is at the forefront of technology in the world and is still a long way from extensive commercial use. Only a very small number of scholars globally have discussed its application in the cultural protection direction. This type of technology is based on real images taken by cameras, superimposing virtual images and making virtual images interact with real images. Such technologies mainly target augmented reality and do not create a sense of immersion in another space environment.

2.3. Making VR products based on 360-degree panoramic shooting

The 360-degree panoramic shooting method is the latest and rapidly developing technology. Through a special VR camera shooting multiple angles at the same time and then using the later method for splicing, special effects can be used to add extended content and information. The shooting and production method, combined with the appropriate VR playback equipment, allows the viewer to freely choose the Angle and content to observe, producing the best immersive experience. At present, there are many application examples of panoramic VR shooting technology for the evening parties, entertainment, wedding, news, and other scenes, but the application in cultural protection projects has not been found, and there are few relevant research and discussion materials.

From a technical point of view, the panoramic VR shooting technology in Europe and the United States is relatively mature, and the human’s industry is also in the process of rapid development and technological improvement. But the post-production effect is not ideal, including splicing gap and nearest distance limitation; the special effects synthesis technology based on VR video is in the early stage, and few mature works appear.

3. Summary

Compared with movable and immovable cultural relics represented by buildings and cultural relics with material attributes, the biggest obstacle to the combination of intangible cultural heritage and virtual reality technology is that they have no entity, and most of them are man-made core skills, experience, and spirit, which are kind of ” nihility”.How to represent these “nihility” non-entities with virtual reality technology is a big problem. Intangible cultural heritage is the accumulation of the essence of various ethnic cultures in human’s dynasties, shouldering the responsibility of human’s cultural inheritance, and is a window for the study of human’s national civilization. Technology is changing the way people live, as well as the way these cultures are protected and inherited. The development of various digital technologies has changed the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage so that its protection and inheritance mode can conform to the change of The Times. Through digital protection and inheritance, the true meaning of intangible cultural heritage can be more truly restored, and all kinds of intangible cultural heritage can be effectively brought into the public view, leaving precious wealth for the history of human civilization, and making the intangible cultural heritage can be protected and inherited more completely.

Founded in August 2020, WIMI Hologram Academy is dedicated to holographic AI vision exploration, and conducts research on basic science and innovative technologies, driven by human vision. The Holographic Science Innovation Center, in partnership with WIMI Hologram Academy, is committed to exploring the unknown technology of holographic AI vision, attracting, gathering and integrating relevant global resources and superior forces, promoting comprehensive innovation with scientific and technological innovation as the core, and carrying out basic science and innovative technology research.

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Holographic Science Innovation Center

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