University of Glasgow unveils virtual museum

The University of Glasgow is launching a virtual museum dedicated to scientist Lord Kelvin.

The opening concludes celebrations of the 200th anniversary of Kelvin’s birth and forms part of the £5.6m Museums in the Metaverse project, led by researchers from the university, which is digitising cultural collections from around the world.

The virtual exhibition will showcase items from a collection available to view at The Hunterian, a museum located on the university’s campus. It also includes items not normally on public display, including a series of digitised scientific instruments and artefacts related to Kelvin’s work.

The team involved in the project used photogrammetry techniques to create 3D models that visitors can pick up and examine in virtual space.

“This virtual exhibition is the first themed museum we’ve built from the ground up to showcase a single collection, and we’re very proud of the work we’ve put in to create a 19th-century lab environment which showcases Kelvin’s life, work and legacy,” said Dr Pauline Mackay, one of the curator’s of the project.

“It really does feel like visitors are transported back in time to see for themselves objects once handled by Lord Kelvin or developed through his research and it’s a tremendous showcase for the power of virtual reality.”

Mackay added the Museums in the Metaverse project has digitised hundreds of objects from collections around the world, which will become available to view online from spring next year.