With high-tech into the stone age!

The virtual reality showcase „Caveman VR“ , designed and realized by TRIAD Berlin , puts the user in an archaic primeval situation. Starting point of the experimental journey is a fireplace, which can be experienced in an audio-visual and even haptic way.

The central interactive element is the virtual torch, which is controlled by a branch with an attached tracker and is ignited at the campfire. A seamless connection between the real and virtual world. The scenery is based on high-resolution nature scans that were specifically optimized for the game engine Unity. For the sound design the Unity internal engine has been enhanced with a spatial audio engine.

Thanks to this especially developed method, the sound of the burning torch changes with the environment and the movement in space. As a service of the Mediasphere For Nature, audio samples from the animal voice archive of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin were researched and delivered for this showcase. They provide a particularly authentic auditory experience. In order to even make the temperature of the fireplace perceptible, a heat radiator is used.

The production makes the situation seem deceptively real and allows the user to explore the surroundings with the torch in her hand. With the combination of real building blocks and VR, TRIAD Berlin creates a new experience format with ‘Caveman VR’ that addresses all senses, makes the invisible visible and allows the user to discover artefacts by himself.

In July 2017, TRIAD presented the showcase at the first Naturkunde-Brunch at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. „Caveman VR“ is a great example of an innovative knowledge transfer and a participatory experience of research content. At the workshop „Virtual Reality im Museumskontext“ , the ‘Caveman VR’ acted as a showcase to demonstrate the application possibilities of VR technology in the museum and exhibition industry to interested stakeholders.