The center’s primary mission is to demonstrate what the ocean was like millions of years ago and to give visitors the opportunity to feel like real researchers. They learn about evolution, where fossils were found in recent years, try to create their own prehistoric giants, and study different species of underwater reptiles – all in one place.
The exhibition was created with the participation of real scientists, paleontologists. Guests meet 12 species of aquatic creatures, from 3 to 20 meters long, that have been recreated according to the latest scientific research.
The underwater station consists of 11 interactive zones, each of them has a unique idea, task for a visitor, and user interaction. The world of prehistoric giants has been recreated using the latest, up-to-date solutions: complex video projections, positional tracking, augmented reality, holograms, original sound design, and many others.
Project uniqueness and innovation lie in the combination of immersive experience, interactive technologies, and edutainment format, used to engage as many visitors in the process of exploring the ancient ocean as possible. The world of prehistoric giants has been recreated with the most up-to-date solutions – large-scale video projections, AR technologies, holograms, original sound design, and much more.
The inner space of the park is illuminated by 43 light projectors. 3D graphics cover walls and floors. Non-typical surface mapping solutions are used in most areas. For example, to create an underwater tunnel, we have specially developed a cylindrical mapping system. In the “Evolution” zone, the projection follows the complex shape of the mountain. In other rooms, we made spectacular projections on the ceiling and decorations.
Breathtaking visualized projection of the ocean and its inhabitants has been created in Unity using the latest design to achieve maximum realism. 90% of the graphics are simultaneously generated in real-time on 20 media servers. This technology has made the animals’ movements incredibly realistic and natural. They look, move, growl, snap their teeth, and make sounds just like real animals.
We used a procedural approach to create a dynamic simulation of the flock movement of fish and morph their appearance. Therefore, fish can be scared away or attracted just by moving a hand along the surface, as well as some parts of sea creatures can be easily altered by guests. In an underwater capsule, images of visitors are embedded in the surrounding space using neural networks.
All areas of the park are interactive. We installed 16 tracking systems and used various types of sensors, depending on the tasks and characteristics of the space. TOF cameras for one of the zones were ordered specifically for this project from Japan.
To achieve the WOW-effect and amaze guests of the park we created a hypnotizing, futuristic holographic projection of 15 square meters.
Marvelous decorations and exhibits give the atmosphere of the experimental research center a complete look. We used dynamic lighting to symbolize the essential change of day and night and designed the artificial intelligence of the underwater station that helps to navigate the exhibit, commenting on what is happening around.
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“Jurassic Ocean” was opened in February 2021 at the Moskvarium (the largest ocean aquarium in Russia).
Idea and production by Hello I/O.