University news

Imagine visiting a museum and being transported inside the glass cases, to virtually examine artefacts at astonishing proximity and from every possible angle. This is now reality.

The University of Glasgow has unveiled its first [un]box Virtual Reality kiosk, a self-contained gateway to worlds that were once out of reach.

Visitors can put on a headset to explore virtual environments and engage with incredibly accurate 3D models of Cultural Heritage collections created by the £6.2million Museums in the Metaverse project, funded through the UK Government’s Innovation Accelerator programme, 

Through the ‘museum in a box’ concept, the general public will get the first chance to interact with MiM platform using the un[box], ahead of the official online launch due to take place in the coming months.

Professor Neil McDonnell, principal investigator of the Museums in the Metaverse (MiM) project, said: “It's wonderful to see the Museums in the Metaverse in the wild, not just as a concept in development but as a living experience people can step into and enjoy.

“The reaction from the public has already been extremely positive, with visitors amazed at being able to examine in Virtual Reality artefacts like Dolly the Sheep’s skull or rare fossils. This is just the beginning we have so much more to show as MiM begins to roll out nationally, opening up hundreds of digitised objects and immersive environments to audiences around the world.”

The first [un]box has now opened at the Glasgow Science Centre for two weeks until 19 December 2025, to allow the public to engage with the MiM VR platform at a major visitor attraction in the city. While there, young people over 10 and adults of all ages can use the kiosk to visit a space station and examine incredibly accurate 3D models of precious natural history artefacts, including the skull of ‘Dolly the Sheep’ from the National Museums of Scotland and rare fossils and minerals.

Dr Gillian Lang, Director of Experience Development at Glasgow Science Centre, said: “We are thrilled to be able to give Glasgow Science Centre visitors the first opportunity in a visitor attraction environment to experience this ground-breaking immersive virtual environment. The collaboration with Museums in the Metaverse highlights the exciting and continuing potential of Scottish innovation and enhances interaction with the scientific culture that is woven into Scotland's heritage.”

The [un]box kiosk marks a major milestone for Museums in the Metaverse, a University of Glasgow initiative using immersive technology to unlock the potential of Virtual Reality for the cultural heritage sector and its audiences.

Museums have long faced a fundamental challenge: globally less than 10% of museum collections are typically on public display at any one time. Furthermore, not everyone is able to access heritage sites and collections in person. This could be due to geographical constraints or health considerations, for example.

The project is addressing this by creating 3D models of rare and precious objects that can be experienced in entirely new ways. Using VR kiosks and online platforms, visitors can walk through virtual museums or build their own exhibitions using digitised objects from some of Scotland’s most important collections.

So far, MiM has digitised nearly 450 objects in partnership with the University of Glasgow’s Hunterian Museum and National Museums Scotland, and created 15 virtual environments, including the Victorian lab curated for Lord Kelvin’s bicentenary.

At the un[box] kiosk visitors to the Glasgow Science Centre can explore pre-curated virtual museums. Once MiM is fully operational users will also be able to become curators themselves designing their own exhibitions from the growing collection of digital artefacts

The technological foundation of MiM involves hundreds of photographs stitched together through photogrammetry and enhanced by skilled digital artists to create museum-quality 3D models.

Phase One of MiM launched in 2023 with £5.6 million support from the UK Government’s Innovation Accelerator programme.

During the first two years, MiM has developed 16 individual experiences, 3 of which will be launched publicly with the platform.

Recently the MiM team secured additional funding for Phase Two which has expanded the digital collection, refined the platform and will see MiM appearing via kiosks in museums and other visitor attractions in the coming months and years.

It is important to emphasise that MiM does not aim to replace traditional museums but rather complement them, bringing collections to life in new contexts and for new audiences. By removing physical barriers, enabling hands-on interaction with precious artefacts and empowering visitors to become curators MiM is helping reshape what museums can be in the digital age.

The first [un]box VR kiosk is now open at the Glasgow Science Centre until 19 December giving the public a chance to step into Scotland’s and the world’s cultural heritage like never before.

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Museums in the Metaverse

The Museums in the Metaverse project is funded by the UK Government’s Innovation Accelerator programme, led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation.

Museums in the Metaverse, based in the University of Glasgow’s College of Arts & Humanities working with both the Advanced Research Centre and The Hunterian, is led by Professor Neil McDonnell (PI) working with Professor Maria Economou, Professor Pauline Mackay and Professor Murray Pittock (Co-Is), aims to create a ground-breaking two-sided Extended Reality(XR) Culture and Heritage platform. 

Partners are Edify, Historic Environment Scotland, National Museums Scotland, University of Glasgow College of Arts & Humanities and The Hunterian.

 MiM contractors are:

• Soluis Tech - Main technical contractor
• Lateral North - Designed traditional museum VR environments as well as the un[box]
• Float - Created non-traditional VR environments

Museums in the Metaverse [un]box

Unlock a world of stories, objects and places using Immersive Technology. [un]box invites you to explore an exciting range of museum collections, virtual environments,

historic sites, rare artefacts and imaginative experiences from across the world.

 

Glasgow Science Centre

Glasgow Science Centre is an award-winning educational charity that has inspired people of all ages by creating meaningful experiences and engagements with science for almost 25 years. Working with leaders in industry and academia, the Science Centre is committed to the delivery of the STEM Learning Pathway through science communication, outreach programmes and collaboration with local and national partners. It is also one of Scotland’s most successful visitor attractions with over 220,000 visitors each year.

 

 

First published: 10 December 2025