GYRO3DSCOPE: A Bring Your Own Device Interactive Kiosk for Enhancing 3D Geoheritage Engagement

Preserving non-renewable geological assets for future generations requires balancing physical geoconservation with engaging public outreach. Digital twins provide an excellent method for protecting delicate geological specimens. Unfortunately, traditional on-site interactive displays rely on expensive, high-maintenance proprietary hardware that small museums can rarely afford. This study introduces GYRO3DSCOPE, a free, multi-tenant Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) platform built to widen public access to digital collections. Scanning a dynamic QR code lets visitors use their own smartphones as remote spatial controllers. This allows them to rotate and manipulate high-fidelity 3D models in real time without downloading or installing local apps. The system is an open-access aggregator, enabling curators to stream site-specific content directly from existing repositories like Sketchfab or 3DBigDataSpace. The platform was evaluated at the Geology Museum of the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași (Romania) during the May 2026 Night of Museums public exhibition. The installation featured a collection of 149 digital twins of rocks, minerals, and fossils. Automated tracking across 276 unique visitor sessions showed excellent engagement, recording an average dwell time of 91.3 s and a user satisfaction score of 4.9 out of 5.0. This approach gives underfunded venues an affordable, scalable tool to encourage public engagement with geosciences and complement the sustainable management of ex situ geoheritage collections without adding maintenance liabilities.