Critical Distance

"We wanted to take the emotional impact and turn it into positive action," said Scott Mullenix, director of communications with Nature Canada, noting that he expects many visitors will be moved by the threats orcas face after seeing them up-close.

Guests can reach out and touch Kiki and her family during the show, using technology that gives the feeling of tactile feedback.

Anyone who has dreamed of swimming with orcas can now have their wish granted at the Royal B.C. Museum with a little help from an augmented-reality headset.

Created in collaboration with scientists, conservationists and Indigenous knowledge holders, Critical Distance uses immersive technology and emotional storytelling to make complex issues personal and inspire action.

Journey alongside J-Pod, a group of 25 endangered Southern Resident orcas living in the Salish Sea off the coast of Vancouver Island.

Launching its Canadian tour in Winnipeg for Ocean Week 2025, Critical Distance transports visitors into the Salish Sea, home to a pod of endangered orcas known as the Southern Resident Killer Whales.

These are the underwater vocalizations of killer whales, and they form the backdrop of a dazzling "immersive augmented reality experience" called Critical Distance.

With Microsoft's HoloLens, Amy, Adam, and the Vision 3 team saw a chance to turn the tide.

Critical Distance, at once visceral and tangible, is a shared experience that immerses us and our fellow humans alongside holograms of the last Southern Resident orcas, showing us what it's like to swim with Kiki and her pod, touch her skin, and feel the hearing loss she experiences when boats pass overhead.

But unlike other AR experiences, which are generally passive, the HoloLens 2 and its hand tracking features allow you to virtually touch the orcas, delivering visual feedback whenever you do, thus making the immersive experience that much more realistic.

The team behind the new immersive experience includes Hollywood veteran studio Vision3 along with support directly from Microsoft.

Critical Distance, opening on September 29 at the Smithsonian museum, immerses visitors in a holographic pod of orcas struggling to survive in the Pacific Ocean's Salish Sea.

But when viewers put on their HoloLens headsets, they're a step closer to understanding how sound affects the orcas.

The Southern Resident Orcas of the Pacific Northwest face extinction.