Belfast City Council has announced funding several innovative tech projects to enhance visitor experiences through immersive technology. As part of the “Augment the City” competition, the council is supporting 10 SMEs and entrepreneurs to develop immersive virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences that will offer unique and engaging ways to explore the city.

Immersive Technology Projects

The funded projects under the Augment the City initiative include:

1. Belfast Stories Generator: Utilizing AI and immersive tech to create an interactive platform for exploring the city’s history and culture.
2. Echoes of Belfast: A location-based AR project that recreates and shares historical and contemporary narratives of the city.
3. Yarns, Craic, and Danders: Employing AI, Metahumans, AR, and game engine technology to create immersive experiences in interactive booths and through an AR guide.
4. SIGN: An initiative using haptics and AR to empower the deaf and hearing-impaired community to share their stories via a mobile app and visual triggers around Belfast.
5. Belfast Memory Machine: An AI-powered immersive storytelling experience featuring 3D-printed models of Belfast landmarks.
6. Amergin: An AI-driven interviewer, archivist, curator, and broadcaster accessible through various digital platforms.
7. Storyfields: A platform allowing residents to create and share immersive stories using their smartphones, turning designated areas in Belfast into interactive “storyfields.”
8. Belfast Back Beats: Creating interactive virtual environments to showcase significant moments in Belfast’s performing arts and music scene.
9. Perspectives: An interactive mythology and history tour app focused on children and young people, including those who are neurodiverse.
10. Memory Fractal: Combining mixed reality and 5G technology to create a narrative sculpture about Belfast’s artistic heritage.

Enhancing Tourism with Technology

These projects aim to broaden the range of voices that can be preserved and enjoyed, making the city’s rich cultural heritage more accessible to diverse audiences, including children, young people, the deaf and hearing impaired, and neurodiverse individuals. The initiative reflects the council’s commitment to leveraging digital tools to enhance tourism and provide innovative solutions for cultural engagement.

For more information, visit UKAuthority​​​​​​.