Digital manufacturing methods for archaeological model development

Abstract

Local archaeological sites and museums lack sensory and immersive experiences which visitors look out for. A sensory experience means the inclusion of other senses, rather than vision only, when visiting a museum or archaeological site. In a review of a number of case studies, it was established that effort is being made to include innovative digital manufacturing approaches within the archaeological industry, to tackle this challenge effectively. Therefore, this study aims to develop an archaeological model using digital manufacturing methods, i.e. to reconstruct an oil press and to complement the Ta’ Kaċċatura site, which is currently not open for the public. To test the hypothesis that digital manufacturing methods in archaeology can positively affect users, a User-Centred Design (UCD) approach was integrated in this study. Online questionnaires and interviews were distributed to the selected stakeholders, i.e. curators, archaeologists, and museum or archaeological site visitors. A detailed analysis of the results indicated that all three stakeholders feel the need to introduce digital manufacturing methods within archaeology. Therefore, a decision framework was set up based on the collected primary data and the archaeological model was developed on the gathered constraints and requirements. The complete experience was created by using a number of digital manufacturing methods contributing to mixed reality and additive manufacturing. Various means were implemented while continuously keeping the users at the centre of the development process. To validate the solution, an evaluation was carried out later by assessing the developed archaeological model from both physical and technical perspectives. From the gathered feedback, it was concluded that the decision framework loop was satisfied, and the user requirements were met. The developed experience proves to aid the curators and archaeologists pass on their message to their users. Therefore, the study shows that digital manufacturing methods can be employed within archaeology, resulting in an immersive and sensory experience for the visitors to enhance their knowledge of local archaeology.