Catalyst develops AR for the worlds most advanced research vessel!

Catalyst helps to bring the world’s most scientifically advanced ship to your house

It’s not everyday that we (Catalyst) get the chance to explore a $528mil state of the art Antarctic icebreaker RSV Nuyina (pronounced noy-yee-nah). So when the Federal Government’s Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) engaged us to build an interactive digital experience to showcase RSV Nuyina, we pulled out all the stops! The outcome is a series of Augmented Reality experiences, designed to educate and inspire both current and future generations – viewed as either a Web AR powered art trail on the Hobart waterfront, or an iOS and Android app.

RSV Nuyina is the most advanced scientific platform on the ocean, so to help users explore the ship, Catalyst leveraged our experience in advanced 3D modelling techniques to build a hyper realistic model of the 160m icebreaker. Click here to download the iOS and Android apps and try them out for yourself!

We love the AAD’s innovative and eye-catching approach to this project. It engages users in Hobart with an educational walking trail, Antarctic Explorer, at the Hobart waterfront, as well as releasing a smartphone app (of the same name) for those not able to visit Hobart.

Here are some of the features:

Full-size 3D views of RSV Nuyina docked in Hobart, viewed in AR, so people can still view the ship while it is not in port.

A smaller 3D model of the ship, to inspire people to learn more about its different scientific capabilities

A series of AR Portals, allowing people to experience living and working in Antarctica, via virtual windows.

Upon the ship’s arrival, Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the Nuyina is a clear symbol of Australia’s Antarctic ambition and a quantum leap forward for our scientific research capacity.

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