The Royal BC Museum has taken a step forward in making their exhibits more accessible for visually impaired visitors. By utilizing a combination of new and old technology, the museum has created miniature versions of some of their most precious exhibit items, such as ‘Buster’ the Ferrisaurus, which sits at the center of their new ‘Dinosaurs of BC’ exhibit.
The miniature version of ‘Buster’ allows visitors to touch and feel the texture and proportions of the dinosaur. To create the model, museum staff took hundreds of photos of the life-sized model and created a 3-dimensional computer model. The model was then scaled down and printed using a 3D printer.
The museum’s previous exhibit, ‘Orcas: Our Shared Future,’ had braille throughout, and ‘Dinosaurs of BC’ also has braille, as well as a braille companion book describing the exhibit. In addition to the miniature model of ‘Buster,’ the museum has also created touchable copies of dinosaur foot tracks, which are also part of the exhibit.
The use of technology to make exhibits more accessible has become a growing trend among museums and other cultural institutions, and the Royal BC Museum’s efforts to make their exhibits more inclusive are a welcome addition to the industry. The ‘Dinosaurs of BC’ exhibit runs until January, and visitors are encouraged to take advantage of the touchable models and braille materials to make their experience more meaningful.