Three companies each awarded £100,000 to develop prototypes for innovative tourism via city council scheme
A holographic interface, an AI storytelling tool and a mixed reality ‘memory fractal’ are all now in development to improve the tourist experience in Belfast, as a trio of tech companies have been granted funding of £100,000 through the Augment the City.
Photo courtesy of Belfast City Council
Led by the City Innovation Office at Belfast City Council, Augment the City is an 18-month programme involving tourism partners across the region. The aim is to inspire local people and visitors to the city to tell their ‘Belfast Story’ in innovative new ways.
The three companies have made it through to the final stage over the programme. With the money they’ve been awarded, over the next six months they will work to turn their concepts into prototypes that can then be trialled in real-world settings.
The winning companies and their concepts are:
- Hamilton Robson’s Belfast Stories Generator – a collaboration with 1Up Studios and Nerve Centre – is an AI-powered interviewer and holographic interface designed to spark natural conversations and share stories about Belfast. The prototype now in development will provide a scalable, searchable archive capturing authentic, unfiltered stories.
- Liquid City’s Amergin is developing a tool to aid storytelling via an AI interviewer. The aim is for anyone to be able to access and use the tool, via their mobile device.
- Ekaterina Solomatina’s Memory Fractal Belfast will use mixed reality to inspire, capture and share personal and cultural memories from lesser heard voices within Belfast communities.
Cllr Fiona McAteer, High Sheriff of Belfast, says: ‘We’re a nation of storytellers. Building on this strength, Augment the City is encouraging innovators to explore how our tourism experiences can revolutionise how we share this aspect of our lives with others. I’m particularly excited about the potential of immersive tech to help lesser heard communities shape the content of new attractions.
‘It’s our goal that Belfast Stories, our landmark visitor experience, public space and creative hub which is expected to open by 2030 on Royal Avenue, will incorporate these types of innovations to make it a global destination.’
Dr Adrian Johnston MBE, Chair of the Belfast Region City Deal’s Digital Advisory Board and Innovation Commissioner for Belfast, adds: ‘Augment the City has been funded through the Digital Pillar of Belfast Region City Deal, with additional contributions from Belfast City Council. First and foremost, it’s about supporting collaborative innovation across sectors for local economic and social impact. And it’s about encouraging our SMEs and entrepreneurs to adopt digital technologies to support them on their own journey of success. From what we’ve seen from all the companies involved in Augment the City, there are some truly exciting concepts here that have the potential to go global.’
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