It doesn’t happen all that often real-life destruction can have a positive impact on our society. Google has big plans in terms of creating a virtual reality museum. To preserve the wonders of the world, the tech giant is taking a very different approach. Surprisingly, this idea is inspired due to the ongoing Taliban destruction of famous landmarks in the Middle East.
Taliban Destruction Puts VR on the Map
Anyone who kept a close eye on the news will know the Taliban is destroyed a lot of valuable and famous landmarks. Why they are doing so, remains a big mystery as of right now. The end result is the same. Ever since this destruction began in 2001, Google has been looking for ways to preserve these landmarks in one way or another.
Doing so in physical form is not feasible, even for Google. Instead, the technology giant does what it can to preserve such landmarks in virtual reality. More specifically, the firm wants to create a massive VR museum filled with locations people can no longer visit in person. It is a great way to showcase the potential of this technology, as well as preserve important aspects of our species’ history.
Google Arts & Culture program manager Chance Coughenour comments:
“With modern technology, we can capture these monuments in fuller detail than ever before, including the color and texture of surfaces and the geometry captured by laser scanners with millimeter precision in 3D. These detailed scans can also be used to identify areas of damage and assist restoration efforts.”
While the Open Heritage project is not new, having the backing of Google is a significant development. Digitally recording monuments to ensure they will never be lost to humanity forever is a very positive venture. So far, over 200 monuments across the seven continents have been digitized forever. Sharing this information in a meaningful manner will require the proper technology to do so. This is where virtual reality can make a meaningful and lasting impact.
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