National Gallery of Prague: Touching Masterpieces by Geometry Prague

Geometry Prague and NeuroDigital have brought iconic sculptures to life for the blind through a unique VR experience, using a pair of gloves rather than the more usual headset equipment.

The new art experience is unveiled at the Touching Masterpieces exhibition, staged by Geometry at the National Gallery of Prague and backed by the Czech Ministry of Culture. Michelangelo’s David, the bust of Nefertiti, and Venus de Milo have been transformed into virtual objects which people “see” through haptic glove technology for the first time.

The haptic gloves control realistic hands in virtual space. When the virtual hand touches a 3D object in the virtual world, the technology identifies the object and sends feedback in the form of vibrations. The Avatar VR glove has been customized specifically for this project by being enriched with multi-frequency technology to stimulate different types of skin cells’ tactile responses – to give the blind the most accurate perception of the 3D virtual object.