Organized by the Instituto Superior Manuel Teixeira Gomes – ISMAT, as part of the European Community project for the development of new methods for teaching biodesign “COCOON – NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS”, demonstrations of visualization and interaction were carried out through Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies for audiences of various age groups.
The interactive experiences were carried out in March 2025, in the city of Portimão, Algarve region in Portugal. Shells of various sizes and geometries were used, which, in a non-destructive manner, were tomographically scanned and analyzed in high-resolution computed tomography imaging equipment at the DASA Group’s Imaging Diagnostic Clinic, in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Once the sequential layers were obtained by X-ray, the 3D file was then generated, to which the colored surface texture was later added from digital images. Once all the three-dimensional modeling was completed, the shell files were then inserted through the “UNITY” software into the “META QUEST 3” goggle environment, acquired with resources from the Rio de Janeiro State Research Support Foundation – FAPERJ.
In both technologies (VR and AR), the possibility of virtually “entering” the shell and verifying “in loco” the spiral geometric complexity of the shells was greatly appreciated by the public of various age groups. The experiments also demonstrated the differences in the various possibilities offered by VR (full immersion in a virtual environment) and AR (3D visualization in a real environment) technologies, which can be used and disseminated for interdisciplinary educational and research projects in various areas of science.
Demonstrations at the ISMAT Design Bootcamp, at the MODO Association in Portimão and during the Milan Design Week.
