Header Banner
Next Reality Logo
Next Reality
nextreality.mark.png
Apple Snap AR Business Google Instagram | Facebook NFT HoloLens Magic Leap Hands-On Smartphone AR The Future of AR Next Reality 30 AR Glossary ARKit Dev 101 What Is AR? Mixed Reality HoloLens Dev 101 Augmented Reality Hololens How-Tos HoloLens v. Magic Leap v. Meta 2 VR v. AR v. MR

Microsoft HoloLens 2 Brings Extinct Animals Back to Life at Paris National Museum

Family exploring a museum with virtual reality headsets.

We already know that the US Army will be using its modified HoloLens 2 for special missions, and major businesses are deploying the augmented reality device for enterprise use cases.

Nevertheless, despite Microsoft's mostly business-focused push for the advanced AR device, there are still creative studios using it to expand the boundaries of entertainment. One of the latest is bringing us an immersive trip through time.

Don't Miss: Microsoft's HoloLens 2 Makes Primetime Debut on Fox TV Show 'The Resident'

This month, the National Museum of Natural History (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle) in Paris launched a new immersive exhibit called Relive Extinct Animals In Augmented Reality (Revivre, Les Animaux Disparus En Réalité Augmentée).

A large, colorful bird sculpture displayed in a museum, with two people observing it.

The installation, which exclusively uses the HoloLens 2, allows visitors to virtually interact with a wide range of extinct animals species including the saber-toothed cat (aka saber-toothed tiger, or Smilodon), the dodo bird (raphus cucullatus), the Rodrigues giant tortoise, the elephant bird, the great auk (pinguinus impennis), and six other extinct species.

Visitor interacting with a lifelike manatee exhibit in a museum.

According to the museum, aside from highlighting our planet's natural history, another goal of the installation is to promote the preservation of current animal species that are endangered.

The 15-minute AR experience was co-produced by Paris-based immersive team SAOLA Studio and features an audio narration as well as a 3D-rendered migrating pigeon (also extinct) as your virtual guide.

Visitors examining a mounted specimen in a museum exhibit.
Child interacting with a life-sized dinosaur model in a museum exhibit.
Two women interacting with life-sized dodo bird sculptures in a museum setting.
Visitors examining a mounted specimen in a museum exhibit.
Child interacting with a life-sized dinosaur model in a museum exhibit.
Two women interacting with life-sized dodo bird sculptures in a museum setting.

And while the exhibit, which kicked off on June 16, is now part of the museum's permanent collection, access is still limited to Wednesdays, weekends, and school holidays.

So if you're in Paris and want to dive into its virtual waters, your best bet is to check ahead on the Museum's website.

Cover image via the French National Museum of Natural History

You already know how to use your phone. With Gadget Hacks' newsletter, we'll show you how to master it. Each week, we explore features, hidden tools, and advanced settings that give you more control over iOS and Android than most users even know exists.

Sign up for Gadget Hacks Weekly and start unlocking your phone's full potential.

Related Articles

Comments

No Comments Exist

Be the first, drop a comment!