University unveils virtual reality exhibition dedicated to pioneering scientist

Lord Kelvin was born 200 years ago

The life of a “pioneering” scientist who studied at a Scottish university from the age of ten is to be revealed in a virtual reality exhibition.

The exhibition on Lord Kelvin, marking the 200th year of his birth, is the latest development in the £5.6m Museums in the Metaverse project, led by researchers from the University, which is digitising assets from cultural collections around the world to make them available in virtual reality form online.

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Born in Belfast on June 26 1824 as William Thomson, Lord Kelvin became one of the 19th century's most accomplished scientists. He made breakthrough contributions to physics, engineering and mathematics during his career at the University of Glasgow.

Announced to coincide with the anniversary of Kelvin’s death on 17 December 1907, the virtual exhibition showcases items from the unique collection of The Hunterian, the oldest public museum in Scotland.

The virtual reality display will be dedicated to Lord Kelvin.The virtual reality display will be dedicated to Lord Kelvin.
The virtual reality display will be dedicated to Lord Kelvin. | University of Glasgow

The objects are displayed in a digital recreation of a typical 19th-century University of Glasgow laboratory, built from historic photos of Kelvin’s labs and featuring historically accurate architectural elements from the Gilbert Scott building. The space is illuminated by the glow of early electric lighting, highlighting Kelvin’s role as a pioneer of electricity – his house on the University campus was one of the first in the world to be lit entirely by electric bulbs.

Dr Pauline Mackay, of the Metaverse team, said: “We’re delighted to be part of the University’s bicentenary celebrations of the birth of Lord Kelvin, and to work with our colleagues at The Hunterian to put some of their lesser-seen items on virtual display.

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“Since the project began last year, we’ve digitised hundreds of objects from collections around the world and will make them available for people to build their own virtual museum collections online from spring next year. This virtual exhibition is the first themed museum we’ve built from the ground up to showcase a single collection, and we’re very proud of the work we’ve put in to create a 19th-century lab environment which showcases Kelvin’s life, work and legacy.

“It really does feel like visitors are transported back in time to see for themselves objects once handled by Lord Kelvin or developed through his research, and it’s a tremendous showcase for the power of virtual reality.”

Highlights of the virtual collection include sections of submarine telegraph cable from the era of the first transatlantic communications, showcasing Kelvin’s key role in the development and laying of the world’s first transatlantic telegraph cable. Visitors can also see two versions of the mirror galvanometer, which was developed by Kelvin to help carry telegraph signals across long-distance cables.

Lord Kelvin’s contributions to electricity are represented with three different types of voltmeters showing the evolution of electrical measurement. The exhibition also features models demonstrating Kelvin's groundbreaking pitch-based experiments, which showed how substances could exhibit properties of both solids and liquids.

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The Geoprecessional Top, a modified globe Kelvin used in class demonstrations to show how the Earth's axis creates a continuous “wobble” that completes one circuit every 26,000 years, highlights the scientist’s achievements as an educator. Visitors can also examine Kelvin's binnacle compass bowl and card, demonstrating his innovations in maritime navigation.

When completed in April 2025, Museums in the Metaverse will provide two interconnected experiences: one for visitors to access collections and dynamic experiences, and another for virtual curators to build enriching and entertaining storytelling using objects and environments that have never been placed together in the real world.

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