Manchester Smart Tourism AR VR

Background

Manchester is European City of Science 2016. As part of this festivities, we are part of the Beacons project, aiming to provide visitors with a smart tourism experience and enhanced retail experience using beacons, virtual and augmented reality.

Challenge

The project is led by Prof Andy Miah from Salford University. MMU’s main involvement lies in the content creation and research side of this project.

Creative approach

We are using Samsung 360 cameras to create content, Google Cardboard to provide the virtual experience and mobile Augmented Reality.

Outcome

Findings from our research has shown that AR and VR enhance public engagement with science and create an enjoyable and interactive experience. This is believed to engage new audiences and create increased interest in Manchester’ history with science. For tourism, this study found that it can be used as a unique selling point for destinations.

Check out the Manchester Smart Tourism AR/VR video on YouTube