Official Winner.
Best Digital Twin for Arts & Culture 2026
DRONE & VR 360 received Official Winner recognition in the category Best Digital Twin for Arts & Culture at the 2026 Digital Twin Awards for its digital twin project created for the Hiller Aviation Museum in California. The recognition reflects independent industry acknowledgment of both execution quality and the practical value of the digital twin experience.
The winning project: Hiller Aviation Museum
The Hiller Aviation Museum at San Carlos Airport preserves the aviation history of Northern California. For this project, DRONE & VR 360 developed a digital twin that goes beyond a traditional virtual tour, turning the museum into a more interactive and navigable digital environment.
The experience spans more than 900 scan points and over 100,000 square feet, allowing visitors to explore the museum’s collection in a much richer way. Instead of simply moving from point to point, visitors can follow guided paths, discover aircraft through interactive exploration tools, and access information designed to make the experience more engaging and accessible.
The digital twin integrates features such as AI-assisted guidance, multilingual access for international visitors, and educational exploration tools that encourage curiosity and discovery. Rather than simply presenting the space visually, the goal was to create a digital environment that helps people understand the exhibits and interact with the museum’s aviation history in a more meaningful way.
Explore the award-winning digital twin experience
“Our virtual tour lets aviation fans explore our collection from anywhere - and it’s helped us showcase our event rental space far more effectively.”
— Jon Welte, President & CEO
“A digital twin shouldn’t just show a space — it should help people explore it, understand it, and feel curious about what’s inside.
For places like museums, that’s especially powerful.”
— Slava Kiselev, Founder, DRONE & VR 360
From Virtual Tour to a Living Digital Twin.
The digital twin for the Hiller Aviation Museum was originally created as a high-quality virtual tour designed to showcase the museum’s collection and spaces. Over time, the experience evolved into a more sophisticated digital environment focused on helping visitors navigate, explore, and better understand the museum.
Instead of relying only on static labels or basic navigation, the digital twin integrates interactive tools, guided exploration paths, and visitor-oriented digital features that encourage deeper engagement with the exhibits. The result is a digital experience that supports both remote exploration and the on-site visitor journey making the museum’s aviation history more accessible and easier to discover.
About the Digital Twin Awards.
The Digital Twin Awards is an international awards program recognizing outstanding Matterport-based digital twin experiences across industries including real estate, culture, architecture, tourism, and infrastructure. Winners are selected by an independent panel of judges based on project quality, innovation, and practical use of digital twin technology.
View the official award listing →
