Virtual reality dinosaurs makes it possible to explore dinosaurs in a way that’s never been possible. Experienced scientists can capture and animate their research and even 3D print replicas of some specimens.
Calling all dino-loving kids: this deluxe gift set brings an 80-page interactive book to life in VR and includes goggles, a dig-out rock and tools to chisel a 10” T-Rex fossil. Recommended for ages 8-12 years.
Abacus Brands VR Dinosaurs Gift Set
Immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring world of dinosaurs like never before with this deluxe gift set. This virtual reality book and gift set come with an 80-page DK dinosaur book, VR goggles, and tools to dig out and build a 14” T-Rex fossil. It’s a great way to teach kids about palaeontology while they play! Animated explainer videos bring dinosaurs to life. Embark on virtual museum tours, ride a dinosaur roller coaster, and even outrun a T-Rex in your Jeep chase! It’s a thrilling adventure that leaves dinosaur lovers of all ages in awe.
For a more interactive experience, put on the included VR goggles and enjoy watching an animated video that brings a dinosaur to life! You can also explore a virtual museum, watch explainer videos, and experience a thrilling dinosaur chase!
Professor Maxwell’s VR Dinosaurs Activity Set
This virtual reality dinosaurs kit is an immersive STEM learning experience that combines an 80-page book with interactive projects and activities. The step-by-step videos provide clear instructions for the science experiments, and the VR goggles create an immersive learning experience. This kit is an excellent gift for kids who love dinosaurs and provides various projects to engage them while they learn about prehistoric creatures.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History T-Rex Chase is an entertaining virtual reality kids’ science set that teaches children about dinosaurs, fossils, and more. The set features a T-Rex chase simulation and augmented reality dinosaur-themed activities. It also includes a virtual museum visit and an animated explainer video. The set is recommended for children ages eight and up.
Abacus Brands Dino Dig VR is a virtual reality kids’ science toy that allows children to discover dinosaurs through interactive VR experiences and hands-on projects. The toy is compatible with most smartphones and offers a unique virtual and physical play combination. The toy includes an 80-page interactive book, VR goggles, and a dig-out rock kit that lets kids chisel away and reveal their 10-inch T-Rex fossil.
Professor Maxwell’s VR Universe is an immersive space exploration experience for kids that combines an 80-page interactive book with a series of augmented and virtual reality experiences. The immersive technology enables kids to land on the moon, drive a Mars rover, and explore Saturn’s rings in virtual reality. The app is easy to use and includes various educational activities that will keep kids entertained while they learn about our solar system, galaxy, and the universe.
National Museum of Natural History’s T. Rex: The Ultimate Predator
A trip to the National Museum of Natural History is a fantastic opportunity for children to learn about dinosaurs. The fourth-floor fossil halls offer life-sized models and a shadow theatre of fighting tyrannosaurs. Still, the real treat is participating in one of the Museum’s interactive virtual reality experiences.
Visitors 12 and older can work with their families to “build” a T. rex fossil model and then see it in a setting representing the dinosaur’s ancient natural habitat. Appshaker, a London-based digital company, created the exhibit. The virtual experience also teaches about the extinction event that might have wiped out up to 70% of plants and animals on Earth 66 million years ago. The virtual environment allows users to select rocks, gases and other elements that could have blocked the sun, causing global tsunamis, firestones and other impacts that led to a mass die-off.
It was a significant challenge to manoeuvre the bones into a configuration that would be both realistic and striking, all while being mindful of the irreplaceable fossils themselves. Eventually, the team created a stunning image of T. rex in a threatening death pose, poised to glut on the body of an unlucky Triceratops.
The exhibition showcases some of the Museum’s groundbreaking research into T. rex and its family. Visitors can learn about discoveries such as the tyrannosaur’s wishbone, hollow bones and egg-laying abilities, which are similar to those of birds. They can even try a new method for studying fossils using 3D scanning technology. There is also a tabletop “Investigation Station” that allows visitors to explore a variety of specimens – from coprolite to a gigantic femur – to discover what they can tell about the world’s most fearsome carnivore from these relicts of prehistory.
While the Museum is best known for its world-class research in palaeontology, it also has a deep tradition of educating and inspiring the public to engage with science. This is especially true regarding dinosaurs, as demonstrated by the massive popularity of T. rex, the world’s most recognizable carnivore.
Leaellynasaura 3D Printing Project
A dinosaur-themed VR experience in Victoria will allow museum visitors to touch a tactile 3D-printed model of the Leaellynasaura. The project aims to show how new technology can enhance museum experiences and create more dynamic ways of promoting science to the general public. It also hopes to revive interest in historical artefacts. Ben Hornan, director of Deakin University’s CADET VR Lab, is part of the team behind the project.
When museum visitors put on the headsets, they will be immersed in a virtual dig site in what used to be a riverbed near the Otway region of Australia’s Victorian coast. They will see a Leaellynasaura dinosaur and a 3D-printed model of its skin based on the scales of a modern eastern blue-tongue lizard. The researchers have scanned the lizard scales to replicate them in the 3D print, which will add a realistic skin texture. The Leaellynasaura was a herbivorous dinosaur that may have been on the lookout for predators, so it is likely to be a shy creature that hides away when visitors approach it.
Mechatronics students from nearby Deakin University will help the scientists and volunteers excavate fossils for the exhibit. They will film the excavation process to be included in the virtual reality section of the exhibition. Once the Museum opens, visitors can walk around the site and touch the 3D models. Using a special headset that tracks hand gestures, they can select the colour of the dinosaur’s skin.
Although palaeontologists can’t bring the polar dinosaur back to life at Jurassic Park, they will be able to show how close they came with this interactive display. It will be open to the public starting September 2019 at the National Wool Museum in Geelong.
This type of virtual reality display could be offered at a broader range of museums and attractions across the country. It might even be a feature in some theme parks. After all, what’s not to love about a virtual encounter with a ferocious carnivore?