High-Quality Holistic Data Acquisition in Cultural Heritage

Why digitise archaeological artefacts in 3D? Beyond visual documentation, three-dimensional models can serve as spatial frameworks that connect, interrogate and reuse heterogeneous forms of archaeological evidence. The Horizon Europe AUTOMATA project explores this potential for ceramic and lithic artefacts, combining AI-augmented robotics, high-resolution photogrammetry and non-invasive archaeometric analysis.

Our framework, developed under Project “Meta Paradise,” utilizes a multimodal digital workflow to create high-fidelity, interactive Digital Twins of contemporary artworks. Traditional digitization workflows often struggle with the diverse geometric scales, complex textures, and varying material properties intrinsic to modern collections. To address this, our technology integrates 50-megapixel photogrammetry, high-frame-rate 4K video, and 8K spherical imaging. In the post-production stage, the data is processed through custom pipelines based on the specific morphology of each masterpiece. Complex, organic textures are reconstructed using state-of-the-art Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) and 3D Gaussian Splatting. Precise geometric and reflective structures are translated into interactive 3D polygon meshes, while monumental, large-scale spaces are processed via high-resolution 8K equirectangular spatial stitching. The final outputs are optimized for cross-platform, device-agnostic immersion using lightweight WebXR frameworks (Three.js and Babylon.js).

The innovation lies in turning a digital replica into a living tool for cultural heritage management. By connecting 3D models and geographic information with collections records, operational systems and live sensor data, Living Digital Twins allow museums and heritage sites to understand their spaces, assets and changing conditions within a shared environment.

The proposed demonstration will illustrate how these connections can support practical decisions — for example, identifying environmental conditions that could threaten an artefact, locating the affected collection items and informing a conservation response. This connects digital documentation with day-to-day preservation, while creating opportunities for richer visitor interpretation and more accessible engagement with heritage.