XR Stories intern develops new app for York Civic Trust

XR Stories intern, Edmund Wei, has helped the York Civic Trust to develop a prototype Augmented Reality (AR) experience for visitors exploring the blue plaques around the city.

An undergraduate studying Interactive Media at the University of York, Edmund applied for the internship role to expand his AR experience after working on AR projects as part of his degree course.

During the 12 week programme, Edmund worked closely with the York Civic Trust team who wanted to bring an immersive, digital element to the stories of key historical people and places in York.

With support and guidance from XR Stories producers and technologists, Edmund tested builds, experimented with concepts and took inspiration from other creative projects running in the XR Stories lab space.

Edmund learnt how to create and host the AR experience directly on the York Civic Trust website. This will enable visitors to scan and access the experience directly, rather than having to first download an app.

Edmund comments: “My internship role with XR Stories gave me access to technology, expertise and insights into other immersive projects. I feel like I’ve gained knowledge about how a great project should run that will provide a benchmark for my future work. ”

Duncan Marks, Civic Society Manager at the York Civic Trust comments: “York Civic Trust has been delighted by the support offered by XR Stories and the creative AR output that Edmund has produced. Plaques are ubiquitous around the globe, but we understand this is a world first in connecting AR content with a plaque. It offers a fascinating way of enhanced engagement with heritage, as well as raising the profile of York Civic Trust, including beyond the city.”

Image credit: York Civic Trust.

Published on 25 April 2023