Maximilian Reimann
Maximilian Reimann is a historian of science and works with the Deutsches Museum Digital team.
His tip for a museum visit: The museum’s exhibitions can be explored through the virtual tour at virtualtour.deutsches-museum.de.
from Maximilian Reimann , Maximilian Reimann
To mark the 100th anniversary of the collection building, the Deutsches Museum is expanding its digital offering with a new virtual tour. This enables online access to the 19 exhibitions that were newly opened on Museum Island in 2022 - at any time and from anywhere!
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Using state-of-the-art 3D laser scanning technology, the Deutsches Museum on Museum Island was digitally surveyed down to the smallest detail. The result is a 3D model based on over a billion scan points and supplemented by 1445 composite 360° panoramic images. The more than 20,000 square metre exhibition space is thus virtually mapped to the nearest centimetre. Unlike conventional 360° panoramic tours, the 3D point cloud enables completely free movement through the digitally reconstructed rooms. The so-called "digital twin" also serves as an example of new approaches in digital museum presentation.
Beim neuen virtuellen Rundgang durch das Deutsche Museum: ein Blick in die Moderne Luftfahrt – mit eingeblendeten Zusatzinformationen und Audiospur. Photo: Deutsches Museum | Deutsches Museum
The new virtual tour offers two ways to explore the museum digitally: A curated highlights tour guides visitors through specific departments such as modern aviation, musical instruments and robotics. Those who prefer to explore independently can navigate freely through the digital exhibition rooms, view objects up close and embark on a personalised journey of discovery. A clear mini-map and a detailed department overview make it easier to find your way around the virtual space. The multilingual offer ensures accessibility and international reach: the tours are available in German, English and plain language.
Mit dem neuen virtuellen Rundgang kann man jetzt die erneuerten Ausstellungen des Deutschen Museums, wie hier die Moderne Luftfahrt, jederzeit und von überall erkunden. Photo: Deutsches Museum | Deutsches Museum
The new virtual tour is more than just a digital image of reality. Visitors can access additional content such as images, audio guides, videos and even interactive 3D models at interactive points of interest. These can be loaded directly from the database of our Deutsches Museum Digital (DMD) portal via an interface. A link in the opposite direction is also planned: In future, if an object is researched in the DMD that is located in one of the digitised exhibitions, users will be able to switch directly from the database entry to the corresponding section in the virtual tour.
The "digital twin" of the exhibition rooms is more than just a tour; it is a foundation for the future. The detailed 3D model contains precise geometric data and, in conjunction with sensors, could become a dynamic, data-based "digital twin" of the museum. This forms a basis for innovative mediation formats, new research applications, the digital preservation of cultural heritage and efficient surveying and exhibition planning.
In this way, the Deutsches Museum celebrates its past and at the same time looks to the digital future of museum visits: open, interactive and accessible worldwide.
Visit the virtual tour via PC, tablet or smartphone at:
https://virtualtour.deutsches-museum.de
The tour of exhibitions before the modernisation (2015-2018) is also still available and has already been used over 200,000 times: