A hybrid human–computer approach for recovering incomplete cultural heritage pieces

The automatic reconstruction of archeological pieces through the integration of a set of unknown segments is a highly complex problem which is still being researched. When only a few segments of the original piece are available, solutions exclusively based on computational algorithms are inefficient when attempting to create a credible whole restoration. Incomplete 3D puzzles must consequently be tackled by considering hybrid human/computer strategies. This paper presents a reconstruction approach in which the knowledge of human experts and computational solutions coexist together. Hypotheses, models and integration solutions originating from both humans and computers are thus continuously updated until an agreement is reached. This semi-automatic restoration approach has been tested on a set of ancient fractured pieces belonging to the remains of Roman sculptures at the well known Mérida site (Spain), and promising results have been obtained. The successful results and applicability of this method have led us to believe that computational solutions should evolve towards hybrid human–computer strategies.

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► Archeological and computer knowledge interaction for reconstruction of cultural heritage pieces.
► Method for the solutions of 3D incompletes jigsaws.
► Reconstruction of incomplete ancient Roman sculptures.