CityVerve has created an augmented reality walking guide for Manchester’s innovation district.
The area around Oxford Road includes 13 plaques from the first ever meeting of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, to the splitting of the atom and origins of the Suffragette movement.
“Augmented Reality is ground-breaking technology. It uses computer generated imagery to bring ideas to life, and allows the viewer to experience first-hand how innovation can change and improve our world,” explained Rowena Burns, chair of Manchester Science Partnerships, one of the leading partners in CityVerve.
“The new walking tour will encourage citizens and visitors to explore innovation on the Oxford Road Corridor, and highlight what CityVerve is doing to make Manchester the UK’s smartest smart city.”
It’s been developed by Sparta Digital.
“We are proud to be a part of this journey to celebrate Manchester as a city of firsts. Augmented Reality has the capability to not only engage users, but to bring stories to life and by doing so, inspire Mancunian’s to join the charge and helps solve some of the world’s biggest challenges,” added Mark Williamson, Sparta Digital’s digital marketing executive.
The plaques are positioned to highlight where the in-app experiences live, which is tied to GPS coordinates. These visual markers are where the AR characters come to life though the users’ smartphone, with virtual tour guides telling the stories of why Manchester is a City of Firsts while encouraging Mancunians and visitors to get out and explore the city first hand.
