The Royal Academy of Engineering partnered with visual artist Kelly Anna to unveil a modern-style statue of a female engineer on National Engineering Day 2024. The statue celebrates Alice Kan, manufacturing engineer who played a pivotal role in the development of the COVID vaccine, and aims to inspire the next generation of engineers to pursue this creative and impactful career.
To support this historic initiative, the project team introduced an Web Augmented Reality (AR) experience. By blending a physical statue with the digital art piece, the project modernizes the celebration of Alice Kan’s achievements and highlights other exceptional engineers' contributions.
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As the Web AR development partner, Byten21 collaborated closely with Atlantic Productions to deliver a groundbreaking immersive AR experience for RAEng. Leveraging Web AR technology, Byten21 designed interactive features that allow users to deeply engage with her story and engineering journey.
With this experience, users can “bring the statue home,” viewing it in their personal space and learning about Alice Kan’s life and accomplishments through interactive hotspots. By simply scanning a QR code, users can access an 8th Wall-powered website, where the 3D statue appears on their screen. Clicking on different parts of the statue provides additional insights enhancing both interactivity and educational value.
Web AR Implementation
Byten21 developed a Web AR solution to address several technical challenges:
1. Technical Implementation
- 3D Model Processing: Comprehensive compression and optimization ensured that 3D models loaded smoothly on mobile devices while maintaining visual quality and reducing latency.
- Real-Time Rendering: Utilizing WebGL and Three.js, Byten21 achieved real-time rendering, bringing the virtual statue to life on users’ devices.
2. Interaction Design and User Experience
- Intuitive User Interface: As the development partner, Byten21 adapted the original UI design, seamlessly integrating it into the Web AR experience. The interface was crafted to be intuitive, allowing even non-technical users to easily navigate and engage.
- Immersive Navigation: Users could freely rotate and zoom in on the 3D statue, exploring its story and details interactively.
3. Cross-Platform Compatibility
- Comprehensive testing was conducted across various operating systems and browsers (e.g., Safari, Chrome) to ensure a consistent experience for all users.
- Responsive design was integrated to optimize the display across smartphones and other mobile devices.
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The project presented a series of challenges, each requiring creative and technical innovation to overcome. The first hurdle was balancing high visual quality with fast loading speeds—a delicate act that Byten21 tackled by implementing an adaptive content loading system. This solution dynamically adjusted 3D model resolutions based on each user’s device performance, ensuring a seamless experience without compromising on quality.
Another challenge lay in the diverse levels of Web AR support across devices and browsers. To address this, Byten21 conducted rigorous cross-device testing throughout development, ensuring broad compatibility and providing fallback options for lower-performing devices. The final obstacle was enhancing narrative immersion to deepen emotional engagement. By integrating dynamic audio effects and interactive triggers, the team crafted a multi-sensory experience that captivated users on multiple levels.
Future Vision
This project showcased how Web AR can bridge storytelling with modern technology, creating engaging and meaningful experiences for audiences across cultural and educational domains.
By continuing to push the boundaries of Web AR, Byten21 aims to connect people with stories, inspire curiosity, and redefine how technology enhances our understanding of the world. This is not the end of the story—it’s the beginning of a journey where technology and creativity converge to inspire future generations.
