“MOBARTECH” A mobile, interactive and participatory platform for the study, conservation and promotion of Cultural Heritage

The MOBARTECH project, funded by Regione Lombardia, proposes the development and the test of a technological platform. It integrates cultural, social and creative skills and abilities with enabling technologies (such as Information Technology, non-invasive scientific analyses, devices and methods for image acquisition and processing, technologies and methods for conservation and restoration, intelligent logistics systems, public interaction and infotainment technologies (information + entertainment), for the provision of high added value services applied to historical-artistic assets. The project leader is Arterìa, a modern and innovative company that offers logistics dedicated to fine arts and valuable items. Besides, two companies participate: XGLab, whose core-business is the development of high-performance electronics and instrumentation for X-ray and Gamma-ray applications and Space, a company of technological innovation dedicated to enhancing and communicating cultural heritage. Three Universities (Università degli studi di Milano-Bicocca, Università degli Studi di Milano and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), a public research institution (CNR-IBFM) and a private non-profit foundation (Eucentre) are involved. The MOBARTECH platform is based on a centre of "soft and hard" skills and technologies dedicated to the creation of services applied to the Cultural Heritage field. It consists of a) a centre of cultural and social competences, b) three technological laboratories (Laboratory of Diagnostic Analysis, Laboratory of Conservation and Restoration, Laboratory of Image Processing, Public Interaction and Communication), distributed in the Milan and Pavia areas, and c) a "mobile" laboratory that allows the in situ analyses and that acts as an "open lab" for the public. The general objective of the platform is to support, in an innovative way, the study, conservation, education and access of Cultural Heritage to the public, encouraging the development of new creative processes that can enhance the approach to historical assets. Moreover, the possibility of using a mobile vehicle that can simultaneously act as a technical laboratory and open-lab, ensures the removal of some barriers to knowledge, such as the difficulty for the public to physically reach the Cultural Heritage or to understand the study and conservation actions that maintain or increase the value of the asset.