Russian museums are offering visitors a brand new way of going through thousands of its exhibits, with the help from a fledgling startup called the Smart Museum.

Visitors no longer need to pay money to individual or group tours, with a fixed timeline and path.

Museums won't need to splash out on expensive audio guides that need regular maintenance and a watchful eye to keep forgetful or ill-intentioned tourists from stealing them.

Now it's all so simple - before you open tрe door make sure you've downloaded a dedicated app, your handy companion around the myriad of pictures and artifacts.

Now you can walk in and take your time to see what you want to see and still be able to know all about the piece that you see.

No roaming charges. It's all made possible with a smartbox, a wifi server streaming any info you need from the museum's archives.

There are also QR-codes posted near exhibits, which when captured, for example, will prompt the playback of an audio effect relevant to the theme of the painting or the artifact you are contemplating.

What's more, you can store the session so that some years down the road you'll be able to refresh your memories or make you revisit the things you found the most exciting.

You can have a look at the app or even download it here.

If you want to know the full list of museums working with the Smart Museum, contact Russia-IC.