Challenge 4: The value of AR vs. actual public use

Challenge #4: The educational value of AR vs. the number of persons who would actually experience it
If the vast majority of the public do not have smartphones and are not aware of the possibilities of an augmented reality experience at historic sites, how can we expect to produce applications that actually see use?
Firstly, we don’t see our applications as existing just for smartphone owners and just for the younger “digital natives.” We strongly believe that the benefits of augmented reality are not to be restricted to students and technology early adopters. Our applications are meant to be fused as a natural part of the site to which they are attached. They will involve outdoor interactivity, but also require users to explore the indoor areas of sites through the use of coded “markers.” We also see the availability of hardware for use by visitors to be an important way to invite the general public to experience our applications.
Secondly, our Project has an outreach objective. The development and placement of augmented reality viewer installations will serve to publicize the Project’s applications, and lessen the technological anxieties of much of the general public. What better way to encourage the exploration of nearby historic sites- by letting people have a peek at the world museum?