Dr. Timothy Jung was invited to give a keynote speech about the Google Glass Project at the International Congress of Students of Tourism and Hospitality “Tourism of the future and influence of new technologies: Augmented Reality in Tourism in Budva between the 30th April and 4th May 2014. In this beautiful location in a coastal town of Montenegro he talked about the opportunities of using Google Glass to enhance the tourism and visitor experience within destinations.
On April 10th and 11th the first Google Glass Application Test took place at Manchester Art Gallery. We aimed to identify user requirements and art gallery visitors’ general perception in regards to using Google Glass within the art gallery environment. In total, 29 participants tested the Google Glass application, developed by 33 Labs from California, on a painting of George Stubbs.
As Part of the Google Glass trials at the Manchester Art Gallery, a sample application was created by our Partners at 33Labs which contained additional information as well as audio comentary for the painting of the “Cheetah and Stag with two Indians”. The application allowed for additional Information to be displayed on Glass such as the painting properties, information about the artist or similar paintings to the one beeing viewed. In addition, audio commentary on the history and meaning behind the painting was available to be heared over the device. Below are a couple of exaple slides of the App that showcase the type of information beeing shown and the layout of the cards.
Testing the fuctunality of Google Glass on the MMU Campus and evaluating students interest and reaction to the device.
An introductory seminar that brought key Manchester stakeholders together to discuss and assess the collaboration on a city level was held at the Manchester Metropolitan University’s Hollings Faculty in February 2014. Representatives from Manchester City Council, Marketing Manchester, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University, MIRIAD and 33Labs participated in this gathering to discuss the potential of Augmented Reality in Manchester.
The gathering encouraged the cross-sectorial communication among Manchester city stakeholders and discusses initial projects in the area of tourism, city experience and technology implementation in Manchester.
As one of the initial projects of the AR Tourism Centre, the collaborative project between the Manchester Art Gallery, 33Labs and Manchester Metropolitan University was presented and discussed. It aims to understand consumer reaction and requirements for wearable computing devices such as Google’s Glass in art galleries and museums as tourist attractions.
If you are interested in the collaboration and project specifics please contact: t.jung@mmu.ac.uk.
