Launch of ROM Ultimate Dinosaurs App Brings Dinos to Life
The ROM’s new exhibition Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants of Gondwana, presented by Raymond James Ltd., uses innovative technology known as Augmented Reality (AR) to bring dinosaurs to life. An AR app layers virtual experiences over real environments creating three-dimensional, life-like visuals to enhance users’ experience of these great Southern Hemisphere dinosaurs. The ROM is the first museum in Canada to use AR on this scale.
The ROM Ultimate Dinosaurs app for iPhone, iTouch and iPad lets users experience dinosaurs in a new and surprising way, both in the exhibit itself and by interacting with select ROM advertising across the GTA including transit shelter and print advertising.
“We’re extremely excited to present these big, bizarre dinosaurs that are new to Canadians, in ways Canadians have never experienced. The combination of cutting edge technology and scientific accuracy, along with the integration of a custom AR app makes Ultimate Dinosaurs fascinating for all ages – from children to adults alike.” says Jason French, Ultimate Dinosaurs Project Manager.
Visitors with an iPhone, iTouch or iPad mobile digital device can download the ROM Ultimate Dinosaurs app and bring it with them to the Museum to bring dinosaurs to life, or use the iPads provided in the exhibition at three AR stations to scan the skeletal casts and watch the creatures transform before their eyes - fleshing out the dinosaur bones with skin. The ROM Ultimate Dinosaurs App was developed by Meld Media of Toronto, Canada.
“Technology has changed the way people consume information. There is a huge opportunity for educational providers like the ROM to harness the power of new technologies, like Augmented Reality, to engage with visitors on a deeper, more personal level.” says Tracy Ruddell, Assistant Vice President, Marketing at the ROM.
“AR is a powerful tool for museums because it can free objects from the confines of their displays and put them back into their original context. For dinosaurs, that means we can flesh out the skeletal casts to see what they would have looked like with the skin on, how they would have moved and behaved. It brings history to life.”
Multi-Media Experiences
AR is just one form of technology that the ROM has used to engage visitors with these new dinosaurs. Ultimate Dinosaurs includes more multi-media than any exhibition in the ROM’s history, including:
North vs. South Reactive Walls
Using body-scanning technology, two large motion-sensitive digital murals depicting dinosaur habitats react to visitors’ motion – inviting you to become part of the experience.
Continental Drift Interactive
This multi-media station invites users to try two unique experiences on the iPads provided. First, a multi-user game challenges visitors to reassemble pieces of Gondwana while demonstrating the principles of tectonic plates and continental drift. As well, an interactive timeline allows users to scroll through time to discover how a dynamic Earth with drifting continents affected the evolution of dinosaurs.
Digital Dinosaur Profiles
iPads are installed throughout the exhibition to allow users to discover more information about these great Southern dinosaurs.
Further Information
The ROM Ultimate Dinosaurs App is available for free from the App Store for iPad, iTouch or iPhone by visiting www.itunes.ca/appstore
More information at https://www.rom.on.ca/dinos/channel/ar.php
Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana opened June 23, 2012 at the ROM and runs for a limited time. More information at www.rom.on.ca/dinos
iPhone, iTouch and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.