Semester Thesis Project · Guide: Prof. Mriganka Madhukailya
Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis
The rhino India forgot
The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis) inhabited the Ganges and Brahmaputra floodplains of north-eastern India until it became locally extinct by the 1920s. Little visual or behavioural documentation remains. This project constructs a scientifically informed digital replica of the animal and presents it through an interactive holographic display for museum audiences.
The concept draws on digital twins, in which a virtual model is kept synchronised with a physical counterpart through live data. As no living individual exists in India to serve as a counterpart, the replica is constructed from archival, anatomical and ecological evidence.
ADD IMAGE · rhino cut-out, side view (transparent PNG), about 940 x 488
Digital reconstruction, ZBrush
Skin
Grey and hairless, with folds resembling armour plates.
Neck folds
Two folds continue over the back of the neck, forming a characteristic saddle.
Horn
A single horn, usually under 20 cm. Males have larger horns; females have a small knob or none.
Upper lip
Long and pointed; it assists in grasping food.
ADD IMAGE · historic range map
The species ranged across the Ganges and Brahmaputra river valleys, from Uttar Pradesh through Bihar and West Bengal to Assam: more than 2,000 km.
~50
individuals, all in Ujung Kulon
Approximately 50 individuals survive, all in Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia. None remain in India.
ADD IMAGE · archival photo, 1900 postcard (black and white)
Colonial hunting records, fossil remains, documented sightings and preserved museum specimens. A postcard photograph published in 1900 is among the few surviving images.
Holographic Prototype
ADD VIDEO · hologram-demo.mp4 (muted, looping, 16:9)
Close-up of the pyramid display
Literature and Reference Review
Existing evidence on the subspecies is fragmentary: illustrations tend to exaggerate, photographs are scarce, and the literature describes the animal without depicting it. Multiple sources were therefore cross-referenced so that each modelling decision could be traced to documented evidence. Where a digital twin relies on live sensor data, here archival, anatomical and ecological sources take that role.
No.
Source
Contribution
1
Historical records, North-East India
Locations and dates of recorded occurrence
2
Margaryan et al. (2020)
Distribution map and surviving population
3
Barbour and Allen (1932)
The last Bengal specimen, held at the Indian Museum, Calcutta
4
Potential habitat model
Habitat and ecological context
5
3D VR animation of the Javan rhino
Prior digital work on the species
6
Tinbergen, Aims and methods of ethology
A method for the systematic study of behaviour
7
Camera traps, WWF and International Rhino Foundation
Observed wallowing, browsing and locomotion in the extant population
ADD · interviews, field observation or expert consultation, if undertaken. The proposal planned consultation with conservationists and observation of the greater one-horned rhinoceros in Assam.
Digital Reconstruction
The scope comprised a scientifically informed 3D model, supporting biological information and a single behavioural state; a full simulation of the species was outside it. The model was sculpted in ZBrush from a base mesh and revised iteratively against the reference material.
ADD IMAGE · mesh drawn with 1,077 points
1,077 points · 0.4%
ADD IMAGE · mesh drawn with 20,211 points
20,211 points · 7.5%
ADD IMAGE · mesh drawn with all 269,488 points
269,488 points · 100%
The final mesh comprises 269,488 vertices and 269,486 faces in a single ZBrush polymesh. It is rendered here at 0.4%, 7.5% and 100% of its vertices, to indicate the level of detail rather than the sequence of construction.
ADD IMAGE · base-mesh block-out screenshot
Stage 1
Base mesh
Overall mass and proportions established from reference drawings and photographs.
ADD IMAGE · close view of the sculpted head and neck
Stage 2
Anatomical detailing
Skin folds, horn, ears and the prehensile upper lip.
ADD IMAGE · comparison with a reference photo
Stage 3
Proportional verification
Comparison with extant rhinoceros species and the Calcutta specimen.
ADD IMAGE · surface or texture test
Stage 4
Surface treatment
Skin texture conveying mass and presence without photorealism.
ADD · documented modelling decisions revised after feedback or new evidence, with before-and-after images.
Holographic Display
The display applies the Pepper's ghost technique. A tablet presents four rotated views of the model, and a transparent pyramid reflects them into a single apparent three-dimensional image. It is intended for two audiences: researchers who wish to examine the data spatially, and museum visitors unfamiliar with the species.
Stage 1
Black background
Only the model is illuminated and therefore reflected.
Stage 2
Four rotated views
Each view faces one side of the pyramid.
Stage 3
Laser-cut pyramid
The reflections combine into a single image.
ADD IMAGE · the four rotated views on black
Four rotated views played on the tablet, one for each face of the pyramid
Jury Presentation
The prototype was exhibited beside the research poster and presented to the jury.
ADD IMAGE · jury review, portrait
Jury review with Prof. Dr. Udaya Kumar
ADD IMAGE · the set-up, pyramid on a black box beside the poster (landscape)
Exhibition set-up: pyramid on a black enclosure beside the research poster
ADD IMAGE · presenter pointing at the hologram, portrait
The model displayed within the pyramid
Limitations
The replica is a reasoned approximation rather than a verified scientific model. Where anatomical data were unavailable, the greater one-horned rhinoceros was used as a comparative reference. The hologram is a concept prototype, not a finished exhibition system.
Implications and Future Work
For researchers, the replica offers a spatial environment in which to explore habitat scenarios. For conservation, the Javan rhinoceros is genomically close to the greater one-horned rhinoceros, a species Indian institutions already manage, which supports studying the two together. For museums, it offers a means of presenting a species no longer present in the country. The approach may be extended to other locally extinct species.