Chongqing - Chongqing Natural History Museum will be the first in the southwestern region to bring precious fossil specimens "back to life" utilizing Augmented Reality (AR) technology.
The initial batch of over 60 "revived" fossil specimens will be unveiled to visitors before the Spring Festival.
Through AR-guided tours, visitors will witness a captivating display of the revived fossil specimens, including dinosaur skeletons in the Dinosaur Hall and African savannah animal specimens in the Mammal Hall, reenacting the stunning scenes of the African grassland animal migration within the museum.
The Chongqing Natural History Museum pioneers using Augmented Reality (AR) technology to "resurrect" fossil specimens. (Photo/Yin Shiyu)
Chongqing dinosaur stars on the "revival" list
"The museum's audience primarily consists of young people, and textual explanations can be dull for children. Therefore, we decided to use AR technology to give life to the fossil specimens and let them 'speak' for themselves," said Gao Bichun, the Chongqing Natural History Museum curator.
With the aid of cutting-edge technology, what stories will these fossils tell? Gao Bichun said that each "dinosaur star" has a unique story.
For example, the Hechuan Maxi Dinosaur, currently the most complete giant sauropod dinosaur fossil found in China, will provide a panoramic account of the fossil excavation story.
"We plan to use augmented reality technology to present the nearly 40 tons of fossil excavation process to the audience. Additionally, this colossal creature measuring 24 meters in length will transcend time and appear before the audience," Gao Bichun explained.
The Shangyou Yongchuan Dinosaur, one of the earliest discovered nearly complete carnivorous dinosaur fossils in China, will narrate the story of the carnivorous dinosaur food chain.
Content tailored for different age groups
"We found that children and elementary school-aged visitors prefer animated explanations. On the other hand, middle school to university-aged visitors prefer to listen to detailed explanations by experts and see educational content about computer-generated dinosaurs," Gao Bichun said.
Children and elementary school-aged visitors watch animated explanations at the Chongqing Natural History Museum. (Photo/Yin Shiyu)
Based on this, the Chongqing Natural History Museum has curated three versions of content tailored for different audience groups. The youth version will vividly recreate the stories of the specimens through charming animated characters and entertaining animated scenes.
The popular version will use 3D models to present the stories behind the fossil specimens comprehensively.
In the professional version, Gao Bichun will appear in virtual reality to personally guide the visitors. This version is geared towards adult visitors, providing professional explanations to enhance their understanding of the fascinating animal world.
"Reviving" a fossil specimen takes at least 7 hours
Yang Xiaohua, the General Manager of Suzhou Heyun Guanbo Digital Technology Co Ltd, the company responsible for designing and producing the AR-guided tour, said that reviving a fossil specimen alone requires a minimum of seven hours.
"Creating an AR-guided tour for a museum is a highly meticulous task," Yang emphasized. Each explanatory text has been thoroughly scrutinized by the Chongqing Natural History Museum's experts. Additionally, every animation scene and 3D virtual image in the AR-guided tour has been reviewed by experts.
After the completion of the AR-guided tour, it will be presented through AR glasses. Visitors renting AR glasses will receive a guidebook indicating the positions of the fossil specimens supported by AR guidance.
Using the guidance is also very convenient; visitors need to stand in front of the fossil specimen, and the glasses will automatically start playing the guided tour content. If the museum experiences many visitors during holidays, spectators can activate the AR guidance by stating the fossil specimen number.