Galileo is the European Union's Global Satellite Navigation System (GNSS). Sometimes called the “European GPS”, Galileo provides accurate positioning and timing information. Galileo is a programme under civilian control and its data can be used for a broad range of applications. It is autonomous but also compatible with existing satellite navigation systems. At the moment, Galileo consists of 26 satellites.

To present Galileo, the European Union’s Global Satellite Navigation System, in a clear, immersive and memorable way, we designed and produced a fully functional virtual reality experience titled Galileo in a Nutshell. The objective was to help event visitors understand Galileo’s main services, applications and benefits through a realistic, hands-on experience encouraging exploration, discovery and learning.

The project required more than a standard VR application. It had to combine digital immersion with physical sensation, allowing users to feel physically present inside a non-physical environment. Designed as a portable event kit, the experience had to be safe, intuitive, easy to install, compact enough to travel through regular doors and elevators, and usable by two visitors at the same time in order to reduce waiting lines during professional fairs and public events.

We developed a six-minute VR ride across eleven different sceneries, illustrating seven Galileo use cases. Built in Unity and combined with custom-made motion platforms based on car-racing seats, the experience offered visitors a dynamic journey through a realistic 3D environment, making Galileo’s role in positioning, timing, navigation and safety applications immediately tangible.

Concept – Sketches – Script – Story-board – 3D modelling & animation – Unity development – Voices recording – Hardware purchase (custom made motion platforms, based on car racing seats, computers, TV)