# The Usage of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Underwater Archeology
## 4 Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies in Underwater Archeology
### Barriers to the Use of Virtual and Augmented Reality  
In addition to their significant advantages, VR and AR technologies also have limitations. One of the most obvious is the need to have appropriate hardware and software to reproduce the content [107; 108]. This limitation applies to both normal users and cultural institutions that want to use virtual elements during their exhibitions. Designed virtual applications sometimes require the use of dedicated solutions, which are not cheap and require a significant amount of time for their preparation [13]. When designing virtual applications, many creators face the dilemma of whether to design a solution for specific goggles, where it will work almost flawlessly, or to expand the software capabilities (which also involves additional costs) for various devices and risk software bugs also appearing. In turn, designing software for one type of device may make it completely impossible to play it on other devices, which from the user's point of view would require doubling the existing hardware. This type of limitation is primarily related to the dynamic development of the VR and AR market and the lack of well-established standards for this type of solution. A partial solution to this problem is both VR and AR applications dedicated to mobile devices [105]. However, here too we may encounter a lack of software compatibility with our equipment. Moreover, this solution does not provide a full sense of \"immersion\" in VR. It is also worth noting that each visualization, even the best one, will impose certain limitations, which are most often related to the quality of the input data [15; 109]. When creating a computer application, you cannot omit selected elements of the entire station that are not sufficiently documented from an archaeological point of view. Therefore, this type of reconstruction always includes a risk of error [109]. A similar problem may also occur in the educational field, where on the one hand the archaeological reconstruction should be a faithful reflection of the research work carried out, and on the other hand the application should be engaging for the user. Maintaining fidelity to the source material most often imposes certain restrictions on planned virtual applications, the so-called \"serious game\", while in video game design, there are no limits to the imagination and the scenario that is created according to the needs of the game [75]. Another disadvantage of creating a virtual application for educational purposes may be its costs. Virtual reconstruction of the past imposes many limitations and requires great effort to ensure the consistency and credibility of the reconstruction hypothesis, which often includes the need to employ additional people to ensure the coherence of the presented objects and scenario with historical realities [75]. Another limitation is that the user has appropriate knowledge or training in using the program or devices [110]. Potential users, including guests of cultural institutions, do not always have the appropriate knowledge to fully use the possibilities offered by virtual technologies [26; 110]. For this reason, developers of VR programs sometimes choose to limit program features and \"full immersion\" experiences in favor of simple and intuitive application operations [26]. Education using VR and AR, apart from emphasizing its advantages, also meets some criticism. A debatable issue may be the acquisition of equivalent skills in virtual training compared to training conducted on real equipment, in particular this issue concerns motor skills [16; 27]. For related issues with underwater archeology, these issues are particularly important in terms of training from photogrammetry or controlling remote vehicles when examining underwater sites [98]. Although research indicates that virtual training is sufficient for this type of skill in these matters, there are still doubts as to whether in the case of virtual training the student will approach it seriously enough.