The Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris is now able to transport its visitors to the Lascaux cave, located in the Dordogne, thanks to a virtual simulation designed by Dassault System.
Europe 1 tried the experiment, to say the least bluffing.
REPORTAGE
You knew the Lascaux cave but also Lascaux 2, 3 and 4… now here is Lascaux 1/1. It is a virtual and scale replica of this Paleolithic treasure discovered in the Dordogne in 1940. This augmented reality version has been available since Thursday at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris.
About thirty cameras all around the room, a backpack filled with sensors, an augmented reality headset….
And the magic happens.
We are transported to the room of the bulls, at the entrance of the cave.
All the participants are there, in the form of yellow avatars gathered around Delphine D, the guide.
The visit can begin: "I invite you to look at this magnificent figure of a cow, with an extremely precise drawing", she explains, pointing to a wall that only the small group, equipped with helmets, can see.
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"We almost forget that it's digital"
If it is possible to cross the walls of Lascaux, the visit is sequenced to avoid bumping into the real walls of the 130m2 room that hosts the experience.
In one of the sections of the cave, Jean-François approaches, amazed, the painting of a large black bull.
"It's great. We are really immersed. At the limit, we almost forget that it's digital. We really have the impression of being in the real thing. We lower our heads so as not to bump into the ceiling , and when you have to go through the small guts, you get on all fours! ", he smiles.
Gathered in the middle of the room, visitors can suddenly believe themselves transported to the Dordogne. Credit: Pierre Herbulot for Europe 1.
A virtual reality headset and a backpack with sensors are needed to bring this experience to life. Credit: Pierre Herbulot for Europe 1.
Scientific interest
This crazy project was commissioned in 2014 by the Ministry of Culture from Medhi Tayoubi, vice-president of innovation at Dassault System, who was able to bring these lines of code to life.
"The novelty is that we do virtual reality with others, on a real scale, and we can move around intuitively without technical knowledge," he argues with Europe 1.
This fun experience is also of scientific interest.
Researchers studying the real cave can now, thanks to this digital version, continue to work without risking damaging this fragile Paleolithic treasure.
Useful information
This virtual visit is for from 12 years old. Count
32 euros
per person for an hour. The experience is available throughout July, then again from September.