Department of Mechanical Engineering

2010 Provost's Multidisciplinary Award - "Augmented Reality for the Structural Conservation of Archaeological Monuments"

The research project "Augmented Reality for the Structural Conservation of Archaeological Monuments" lead by Prof. Renato Perucchio (Mechanical Engineering) and with the collaboration of Profs. Jannick Rolland (Optics) and Elizabeth Colantoni (Religion and Classics) has been awarded the 2010 Provost's Multidisciplinary Award (http://www.rochester.edu/provost/multidisciplinary.html). This collaborative research aims to develop an interactive structurally integrated method for 3D archaeological documentation, architectural reconstruction, and engineering structural analysis of ancient monuments based on state-of-the-art augmented reality display techniques and hardware. Interdisciplinary research combining expertise in archaeology, art history, geology, material science, structural engineering, and 3D visualization is increasingly needed to insure the preservation of major archaeological monuments such as the Parthenon in Athens, the Pantheon in Rome, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings in Colorado, and the Machu Picchu site in Perù. The complexity of these monuments increases the difficulties that normally exist when data are exchanged and correlated between disciplines. Taking advantage of the collaborations developed in the College through the new program in Archaeology, Technology, and Historical Structures, this research builds on existing initiatives and expertise in classical archaeology (Religion and Classics), structural and computational mechanics and geometric solid modeling (Mechanical Engineering), and the newly established state-of-the-art 3D visualization/augmented reality laboratory (Institute of Optics).