DigiArt · Project

Automated 3D Scanning and Virtual Reality Tools for Museums and Cultural Heritage Sites

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Imagine walking into a museum and being able to explore ancient artefacts in virtual reality, zoom into details, and follow links between related objects — like Wikipedia but for real historical things in 3D. DigiArt built the tools to make that happen: drones and scanners that capture artefacts in 3D, software that automatically recognizes what's in the scan, and a "story telling engine" that connects objects to their history. They tested the whole system in 3 different museums across Europe, proving it works on everything from small pottery to large archaeological sites.

By the numbers

museum settings where system was demonstrated

consortium partners

countries represented in the consortium

total project deliverables produced

demonstration-related deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Museums and heritage sites face a painful bottleneck: digitizing their collections in 3D is slow, expensive, and requires heavy manual post-processing. Even when objects get scanned, turning those scans into meaningful, connected, visitor-friendly experiences demands specialized expertise that most institutions cannot afford. The result is that the vast majority of European cultural heritage remains locked behind glass cases with static labels.

The solution

What was built

DigiArt built a complete pipeline from capture to display: drone-based and static 3D scanners using LIDAR and photogrammetry, automatic 3D model creation algorithms optimized for large scales, semantic analysis that auto-links related artefacts into an "internet of historical things," a story telling engine for contextual narratives, and AR/VR viewing tools — all demonstrated across 3 museum settings with 27 deliverables produced.

Audience

Who needs this

Museums and galleries digitizing their collectionsHeritage conservation firms documenting historical sitesTourism companies building immersive cultural experiencesCity councils and regional authorities promoting cultural tourismAR/VR studios looking for ready-made cultural content pipelines

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Museums and Cultural Institutions

any

Target: Museums, galleries, and heritage sites looking to digitize their collections

If you are a museum struggling with expensive, slow 3D digitization of your collection — this project developed drone-based and static scanning tools with automatic 3D model creation that were demonstrated across 3 different museum settings. The system handles everything from aerial capture of large sites to detailed scanning of small artefacts, cutting out the manual post-processing bottleneck.

Tourism and Experience Design

SME

Target: Tourism operators and experience design agencies creating immersive cultural attractions

If you are a tourism company looking to create immersive cultural experiences — this project built a complete virtual and augmented reality viewing system with a story telling engine that links artefacts to their context. Visitors can interact with 3D objects and even create personalized souvenirs. The technology was validated with demonstrators across 3 museum environments in 5 countries.

Architecture, Engineering and Construction

mid-size

Target: Heritage conservation firms and architectural survey companies

If you are a heritage conservation firm that needs accurate 3D documentation of historical buildings and sites — this project delivered final prototypes for drone-based LIDAR and stereo-photogrammetry capture, plus algorithms optimized for creating 3D models at large scales. The system handles imperfect scan data automatically, reducing the need for manual cleanup that typically costs the most time and money.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this 3D scanning and display system?

The project's EU contribution amount is not available in the dataset. However, the system was designed as a cost-efficient alternative to existing cultural digitization methods. The toolset covers the complete process from capture to visualization, which means fewer separate vendor contracts.

Can this scale beyond a single museum to large collections or multiple sites?

Yes. The algorithms for 3D model creation were specifically optimized to work at large scales, as stated in the deliverables. The system was demonstrated across 3 different museum settings with different types of artefacts, proving it handles varied environments and challenges.

What is the IP situation — can I license this technology?

The project involved 8 partners across 5 countries, including 2 SMEs and 2 industry partners. IP ownership likely follows standard EU grant rules where each partner owns their contribution. Contact the coordinator at Liverpool John Moores University to discuss licensing specific components like the scanning system, 3D algorithms, or story telling engine.

How mature is this technology — is it ready to deploy?

The consortium delivered final versions of all major components: aerial and static scanning sensors, 3D model creation algorithms, semantics extraction, and the story telling engine. These were integrated into demonstrators tested in 3 museum settings. The technology has been validated in real environments but may need customization for specific deployment scenarios.

Does the system work with existing museum infrastructure and standards?

The system was designed to be accessible on any web-enabled device through what the project calls 'the internet of historical things.' The VR component was optimized for compatibility with virtual reality headsets. Based on available project data, specific integration with existing museum management systems would need to be discussed with the consortium.

What kind of ongoing support or training would be needed?

The project produced 27 deliverables including documentation for all algorithms and tools. The semantic analysis uses automatic feature extraction, reducing the need for manual expertise. However, operating the drone-based scanning system and configuring the story telling engine would likely require initial training from the development team.

Consortium

Who built it

The DigiArt consortium brings together 8 partners from 5 countries (Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, France, UK), mixing academic research with industry capability. With 2 universities, 3 research organizations, and 2 industry partners (including 2 SMEs), the project had a 25% industry ratio — enough commercial perspective to keep the technology grounded in real-world needs. The coordinator, Liverpool John Moores University, led the effort from the UK. The presence of SMEs suggests the technology was developed with an eye toward commercialization, though the research-heavy composition (5 out of 8 partners) means academic institutions hold most of the core know-how.

LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITYCoordinator · UK
UNIVERSITE COTE D'AZURthirdparty · FR
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXISparticipant · EL
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSparticipant · FR

How to reach the team

Liverpool John Moores University (UK) — reach out to the computer science or digital humanities department for the DigiArt project lead.

Order a report on this consortium See LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the DigiArt team to discuss licensing their 3D scanning and VR cultural heritage tools? Contact SciTransfer — we connect businesses with EU research teams.

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