The Environment Museum of Stymphalia

The Environment Museum of Stymphalia is located in the mountainous area of the Regional Unit of Corinthia and aims to show the interdependence of mankind and Nature, focusing on their harmonious coexistence in the Lake Stymphalia basin. The basic goals of the Museum are to raise the public’s ecological awareness and preserve the knowledge of the region’s traditional technology.

ICS-FORTH, in collaboration with the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation, developed an innovative interactive system, AmIDriver, that offers visitors a unique and immersive user experience to advance the Museum’s aims. The system simulates the process of collecting reeds in Lake Stymphalia, which are then composted and converted into pellets.

In a virtual environment the system presents a simulation of the lake, with the special amphibian reed cutter machine being illustrated at the bottom of the display. The user directs the machine using augmented controls (gear, steering wheel) in order to clean the lake from large areas of reed-beds. The system aims to visualize the process of restoring Lake Stymfalia and creating open water surfaces for the fish and bird species in order to maintain the balance of the ecosystem.