Tangible Virtual Models. Admire, touch and comprehend the biggest flower in the world
Tangible Virtual Models is a virtual model of the rare blooming moment of the Titan Arum, the biggest flower of the plant kingdom. The blooming process is met with enormous public interest, but it is very rare and can only be observed for a few days. In order to conserve this experience and explore its didactic mediation, a virtual model was built in the research project Tangible Virtual Models. The virtual model of Titan Arum makes selected characteristics readable and spatially understandable. Thanks to the Leap Motion Controller, the more than life-size model of the flower is manipulated and analysed intuitively without visible interfaces: It is possible to let the flower grow, view it in close-up and retrieve information about individual plant parts. Adhering to principles of «scientainment», the project is brought to a broad audience in a modern and entertaining way.
