Known for its co-op party title Spaceteam VR, British studio Cooperative Innovations has also been working on more educational social experiences. Today, it has revealed Curatours, a platform where you can take live virtual tours of museums, galleries and other cultural institutions.
Partially funded by Innovate UK, Curatours will allow you to view artefacts and precious objects up close. It’ll feature a range of options so can can enjoy the digital exhibits at your own pace or join a live tour so you can ask the guide questions. There will also be pre-recorded 3D performances to watch, audio recordings to listen to as well as text-based information.
Just like a museum or gallery Curatours will be a social platform where you can chat and explore with friends, family, classmates and other visitors.
“Going to a museum or gallery has always been a shared and sociable experience. As a result of COVID-19, we have seen the rapid adoption of technology to help us stay connected. Digital experiences have become crucial for cultural institutions to stay open, engage their audiences and attract new visitors,” said Emma Cooper, Project Lead at Cooperative Innovations.
“To date, virtual tours can feel like a solitary one-way experience. Curatours is our solution to this, making the experience a social one that can be shared with anyone, anywhere in the world,” Cooper continues. “At Cooperative Innovations bringing people together virtually is our aim and after four years of R&D coupled with the Innovate UK grant we are developing the technology to achieve this.”
Alongside the main user app, interested institutions will be able to use Curatours Maker to build the content. It’ll accept artefact and environment scans, audio and video content; link to online shops as well as helping set up the live tour schedules. So far Anne Frank House and National Trust Scotland are involved with Cooperative Innovations looking for additional partners.
Slated to launch in early 2021, the Curatours app will be accessible via smartphones, tablets, PC, web browsers and VR headsets.
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