A haptic based VR system is allowing blind and partially sighted people to feel iconic sculptures as part of an exhibition called Touching Masterpieces at the National Gallery of Prague.
Visitors can explore the bust of Nefertiti, the Venus de Milo sculpture and Michelangelo’s David using the Avatar VR system (pictured below) from NeuroDigital technologies.
NeuroDigital worked with agency Geometry Prague and the Leontinka Foundation, a charity for children with visual impairments, to stage Touching Masterpieces.
The Avatar VR wireless controller delivers a realistic sense of touch using haptic technology and movement tracking.
Three-dimensional models were modified from laser scans of the original masterpieces and a projection system enabled the 3D models to transform into a 2D “relief map”. This allows the audience to scan features of the surfaces without the need to trace the 3D object borders.