As part of the award-winning Grand Discoveries Exhibition, Orca Scan is launching OrcaCam, a new online game that pays tribute to some of the world’s most important breakthroughs - all of which were discovered right here in Cambridge.
Styled like an arcade classic, the game challenges players to guide an orca through the River Cam, dodging a series of history making innovations. From the discovery of DNA, the world’s first successful heart transplant, the invention of IVF and even the rules of football. Each obstacle reflects a real scientific or cultural contribution born in Cambridge.
Cambridge has shaped the world in so many ways, but most people who visit our office have no idea. The Grand Discoveries exhibition aims to change that, and OrcaCam is our contribution: a retro style arcade game that’s fun, educational, and hard to forgetJohn DohertyFounder and CEO- Orca Scan
The game was created by Orca Scan’s in-house development team, and officially launches on 4th August as part of Grand Discoveries 2025, a two-month event hosted and organised by Cambridge’s Grand Arcade, in partnership with over 20 leading science and technology organisations. Grand Discoveries invites visitors of all ages to explore the city’s scientific and technological legacy through immersive exhibits and hands-on activities.
Orca Scan joins an exciting group of contributors including Raspberry Pi, University of Cambridge, QualComm, Illumina, Suspense Technologies and more.
The Orca Scan exhibit, celebrates the Impact of Barcodes, revealing how a simple set of black and white stripes help power everything from parcel tracking to patient care. Visitors to the exhibition, will be among the first to play OrcaCam, with high scorers shown on the live leaderboard.
We’re thrilled to welcome Orca Scan to Grand Discoveries. Their interactive exhibit and new game bring a fun, fresh perspective to innovation in Cambridge. As a Cambridge-born company, Orca Scan perfectly embodies the city’s innovative spirit, and it’s been a real pleasure to work with their team, who brought such creative ideas to the eventJulie KervadecMarketing Manager- Grand Arcade
Founded in Cambridge in 2016 and supported by the Judge Business School Accelerate Programme, Orca Scan helps organisations around the world track inventory and assets using barcode technology, with no technical skills required. The platform is now used in 167 countries by over 50,000 organisations, including 58% of the Fortune 500.
This marks Orca Scan’s second major public exhibition in Cambridge, following 2024’s Celebrating 50 Years of Barcode Scanning in partnership with the Centre for Computing History and Datalogic.
View the OrcaCam live leaderboard in the Grand Arcade, which will be visible to approximately 2 million visitors over the next few months! Play OrcaCam today: https://orcascan.com/game
For more information about the exhibition, or to request images, please contact tim@orcascan.com
