he Northampton Borough Council has launched an augmented reality app for residents, which allows them to explore their town through an interactive and immersive experience.
The app, called ‘Explore Northampton’ contains two augmented reality experiences, ‘Discover Christmas’ and ‘A Walk in the Past’.
Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Safety, Counsellor Anna King, stated:
“With towns having to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic, we are proud to have responded by developing a playful, creative and innovative way for residents to engage and enjoy the town using augmented reality experiences on offer through the Explore Northampton app.”
King continued:
“With regular content updates, there’s an experience for everyone, from augmented historical trails to interactive events and exhibitions.”
The ‘Walk in the Past’ Augmented Reality experience takes residents on a journey through Northampton’s history. Users will see notableNorthamptonshire personalities of the past come to life and tell the story of how they impacted the county. Local history enthusiasts can meet a number of personalities, including
History enthusiasts will be able to meet a number of personalities including the football player turned war hero and the first female minister in Parliament.
The ‘Discover Christmas’ Augmented Reality experience offers an immersive trail for children. Users can travel around the town centre and help Father Christmas collect festive items in time for Christmas Day. On the trail, the user will be able to see and collect items including Christmas trees, elves, reindeers and presents through Augmented Reality technology.
Through the app, children will also be able to meet Santa Claus at the Delapre Abbey, once all of the items have been collected and the trail has been completed. Alternatively, users can see an augmented version of Santa from the comfort of their own homes and receive a special Christmas message.
Cllr Anna King added:
“I want to thank everyone for their efforts in bringing this platform to life as we went through local restrictions and two national lockdowns. The experiences enlisted the help of local actors, amateur dramatics and Theatre Director Tamsyn Payne and AR Media.”
Stickers have been scattered around the town at different locations featured on the trail to give clues to those taking part in the Augmented Reality adventure.
The app will be regularly updated with new experiences highlighting Northamptonshire's people, history and culture.
‘Explore Northampton’ is available to download from the Apple Store and Google Play.
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