They're life-sized. They're smart. And they can see you.
You can get up close and personal with the most well-known dinosaurs at a new Australian digital "Dino Zoo" at Queensland University of Technology's The Cube - one of the world's largest interactive digital learning environments.
Ten artificially intelligent prehistoric beasts have been let loose and with laser sensors dotted along the floor, they can detect humans and respond as real dinosaurs would. Luckily, they are being kept behind glass.
"Dino Zoo really is as close to a Jurassic World experience as you can possibly get - and it's based on hard evidence and scientific understanding," Cube Studio manager Sean Druitt says.
"Our animals live just on the other side of the glass, and none of them have broken out yet."
It's a world first in combining large-scale interaction and the latest scientific understanding about dinosaurs.
The nine iconic dinosaurs and flying reptile Archaeopteryx, the largest ever to live, have each been given an artificial intelligence so they can make their own decisions about moving, hunting, grazing and even resting in their natural digital environment, Mr Druitt says.
"The herbivores probably won't take much notice of you but the Tyrannosaurus and Australovenator might think you're on the menu, so please be careful," he says.
His team worked closely with renowned Australian palaeontologist and dinosaur expert Dr Scott Hocknull over 12 months to build scientifically accurate dinosaurs and pterosaurs, based on the latest cutting-edge paleontological research from across the globe.
Dr Hocknull, senior curator for Queensland Museum’s Geosciences program, says Dino Zoo included five of the world's most-loved ancient reptiles - including the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Archaeopteryx and Quetzalcoatlus.
Everything in the zoo has been built from scratch, including the plants and insects.
"We used direct evidence from the fossil record to rebuild these extinct animals and their environment. We also observed their closest living relatives - birds and crocodiles - and this gave us the perfect palette to bring the Dino Zoo world to life," Dr Hocknull says.
The holiday Dino Zoo experience runs every day 10am - 4pm at QUT's Science and Engineering Centre, home of The Cube, until Wednesday January 27, 2016.
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