Hand-Held Museum Guide

Julie Kalista
Online Editor

As a visitor approaches an exhibit, the guide identifies the exhibit and asks questions about it, letting the visitor choose subjects of interest. The guide also plays video clips that bring the exhibits to life.

The guide, a hand-held computer, also lets users communicate with other museum visitors using short message service, like that of cellular phones. Users can leave messages for up to five people such as, "You have to see this." When the recipient approaches the exhibit, the guide will play the message relating to it. The computerized guide summarizes each visit, asks for feedback, and stores data on each users visit. Researchers hope some day that the program will know each guest's interest based on previous use of the program and anticipate what sights will be of interest.