Google’s AR platform Tango is going to let museum visitors explore exhibits

Ever seen an ancient mummy in a museum and wanted a closer look? I mean a much closer look.

Google said Monday it is letting you do that and more through partnerships with museums around the world using its augmented reality platform Tango. By tapping the location and augmented reality capabilities of Tango, part of Google’s ambitious plan to map the indoor world, museum visitors will soon be able to learn more than exhibit signs and audio tours can offer.

How about using an AR overlay to peer beneath a mummy’s sarcophagus and even its bandages like you were examining it under X-ray? Or motion-tracking technology to get a better feel for the grandeur of the Ishtar Gate, which once stood six stories high, from a 3-by-4-foot mosaic piece?

In partnership with GuidiGo, maker of software that acts as a personal museum tour guide, the Detroit Institute of Arts will offer Tango-enabled Lenovo Phab 2 Pro phones at the front desk for deeper exploration of these exhibits and others, such as a cylinder seals and limestone reliefs from Mesopotamia.

Google says it plans to bring the program to other museums around the world.