XRCulture Kicks Off in Trento
The XRculture project (Explore & reuse 3D cultural heritage within the Data Space) has officially launched on the 1st of February 2025. The project’s kickoff meeting, held in Trento, Italy, on February 20th and 21st, 2025, brought together a diverse consortium of experts, researchers, and innovators dedicated to shaping the future of cultural heritage through AI-powered 3D digitization and Extended Reality (XR). Focused on creating high-quality 3D models with advanced AI techniques, XRculture addresses key areas like preservation, education, and tourism, and establishes best practices for emerging technologies in the cultural heritage sector.
A Successful Kick-off in Trento
Hosted by Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), the kickoff event provided an opportunity for project partners to align strategies, define objectives, and lay the groundwork for the next 18 months of collaborative innovation. The event featured insightful discussions on AI-driven 3D modeling, a generic 3D visualization middleware framework, and XR applications for cultural heritage.
Key highlights from the two-day event included:
- Project Vision & Strategy: the XRculture consortium reaffirmed its commitment to enriching the European Data Space for Cultural Heritage by introducing cutting-edge 3D digitization techniques and immersive XR applications.
- Review of Technology & Innovation: experts showcased the latest developments in Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) and Gaussian Splatting for 3D reconstruction, setting the stage for high-quality digital preservation. Another important discussion centred around the implementation of the XRculture middleware for 3D asset visualisation.
- New scenarios that mix 3D digitisation, XR and CH: initial discussion on the scenarios set-up which will demonstrate the use of XR for Heritage at Risk, Heritage Tourism, Dispersed Heritage and Education.
- Communication and dissemination: workflow review, including an interactive discussion about the project branding.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Capacity Building: discussions emphasized the importance of empowering cultural heritage professionals with digital skills and tools for the seamless integration of AI and XR technologies into their workflows.
The kick-off was the last in a series of related events which were also held during the same week at FBK in Trento: the kick-off of "sister project" 3DBigDataSpace, and the initial conference of the Online Competence Centre in 3D for Cultural Heritage (3D-4CH).
Looking Ahead
As leader of the communication and dissemination activities of the project, our IN2 team will focus during the next months on preparing a comprehensive Communication and Dissemination plan, set-up the branding of the project, its website and other communication channels. On the technical side, we are excited about the close collaboration with the Italian ministry of culture on the scenario of dispersed heritage, while also continuing the successful collaboration with Arctur on Heritage Tourism.
Join Us on This Journey
The XRculture project invites cultural institutions, researchers, and technology enthusiasts to follow our progress as we redefine the future of cultural heritage in the digital age. Stay updated with our latest developments, events, and breakthroughs.
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