Face-aware Roman mosaic rendering for an interactive museum kiosk

Abstract

This paper describes the development and evaluation of an interactive kiosk that enables museum visitors to create personalised Roman mosaics. The kiosk uses a novel algorithm, an extension of Battiato’s algorithm, which integrates advanced face detection technology to render digital mosaics from real-time photographs. This system aims to merge the historical significance of Roman mosaics with contemporary interactive technologies, making ancient art more accessible to the public.

We assessed the execution and visual results of the algorithm and evaluated the kiosk in both academic and museum environments, where it was assessed for user interaction, aesthetic appeal, and operational performance. The findings indicate that while the kiosk successfully engages visitors, it faces challenges such as excessive processing times and reliance on continuous internet connectivity. These issues highlight areas for potential improvement in both the algorithm’s efficiency and the kiosk’s physical design to better suit museum settings.

Overall, this study contributes a new mosaic rendering algorithm to the field and provides insights into its application in enhancing experiences in cultural heritage settings. The results offer directions for future research and development in the deployment of interactive technologies in museums.