Google makes major tech move with National Museum of African American History

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture is partnering with Google to make it the most technologically advanced in the world.

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is partnering with Google to make the museum the most technologically advanced in the world, allowing visitors to experience exhibits in ways that have never before been possible.

The new exhibit powered by Google will open in March 2017 and features a first-of-its-kind 3D interactive exhibit as well as a $1 million grant from Google to the museum. The exhibit will allow people who visit the museum to examine artifacts from every angle with a mobile device, using 3D scanning, 360 video and other devices to produce this end result. The exhibit and the grant are part of Google’s continuing outreach work on racial and social justice issues.

Google is also unveiling two new Google Expeditions that will allow people who can’t attend the museum in person to still be able to explore African-American history. One expedition features images along the trail from Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, the route of the 1965 Voting Rights March. Along the way, users will be exposed to facts and people from this time in our history. The second expedition centers on the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, taking users through King’s childhood home as well as Ebenezer Baptist Church.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE