Capturing the Past

Last week I ran a workshop with Dubai Culture on how museums and cultural institutions can use digital twins, augmented reality and AI to preserve and share collections. The question driving us was simple: how do we protect heritage and still make it accessible to more people than ever?

We looked at this technology at three scales. Entire landscapes, like CyArk’s scans of Notre Dame before the fire. Individual buildings. And single artifacts, like the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum. Each use brings different value, from conservation and research to education and even revenue.

What struck participants most was how easy it has become to start. Yes, laser scanners and drones are powerful, but a smartphone in your pocket can now create digital twins. We proved it in the room. Using Scaniverse, participants made their first Gaussian splat scans, then dropped them on a shared FigJam board. Seeing future museum professionals build their first 3D captures together was the moment that lit up the day.

From there the conversation shifted to what these digital assets unlock. Scans create a baseline to track decay over time. Researchers can study details without handling fragile pieces. Teachers can send students on virtual field trips. AR overlays can return lost histories to the sites where they belong.

This is not future talk. It is already happening. Dubai’s cultural sector is growing fast, tied to the 2040 Urban Master Plan, and digital twin technology will be part of that growth. Virtual and physical are no longer rivals. They reinforce one another.

The interest in the Zoom room told me the sector is ready. The tools are there. The benefits are clear. For anyone curious, start with your phone. Use tools like Scaniverse, Polycam, KIRI Engine, RealityScan and Apple’s Reality Composer. Pick an object. Walk around it. Capture it. Share it. You’ll be surprised at what is possible, and you’ll be contributing to the digital preservation of culture for the next generation.