India gets first CGI-enabled 'Dark Ride' through evolution

A slow-moving electric trolley will take visitors on an immersive ride through the formation of earth and evolution of life in the Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)-enabled 'Dark Ride' exhibit at the Science City here, the first such initiative in India, it was announced on Tuesday.

'Evolution of Life-A Dark Ride' at the newly-launched 5,400 square metres facility called Science Exploration Hall in Science City comprises 56 robotic animal models divided into seven sections to showcase the sequence of events in the origin of life, said National Council of Science Museums Director General AS Manekar.

"Each section is equipped with an audio-video presentation developed through CGI. So it is like moving through an animated sequence with models of dinosaurs and various other animals. It is the first such aDark Ride' in the country," Manekar told IANS.

Another first for the country is a digital panorama on human evolution at the three-storey exploration facility that was informally opened to the public in April.

"On a panoramic screen spanning a diameter of 40 metres, one can the different phases of human evolution. The film is projected with the help of eight powerful digital projectors, that contains actual shots from South Africa and India merged with photorealistic computer generated 3D images. The earlier panorama we had in two other science centres in India were static," Manekar said.

The exploration hall also has segments devoted to science and technology heritage of India and one on emerging technologies.

--IANS

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