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Local businesses have unveiled three cutting-edge immersive tech prototypes designed to transform how visitors experience Belfast. These innovations, developed through the 'Augment the City' competition, aim to capture and share our city's unique stories and heritage. It's an exciting glimpse into the future of tourism and community engagement right here in Belfast.
2026/01/27
Exciting news for Belfast! Local innovators recently unveiled three groundbreaking tech prototypes that promise to transform how we experience our city’s rich stories and heritage. These cutting-edge designs, developed through the ‘Augment the City’ challenge, are set to enhance visitor attractions like the upcoming Belfast Stories.
The 'Augment the City' initiative, funded by the Belfast Region City Deal, has championed local Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). It provided significant support – a total of £575,000 – for skills development and business assistance, helping our creative and innovation sectors explore the exciting world of immersive technologies.
Three companies each received £100,000 to bring their ideas to life, showcasing them at a special industry event in City Hall. Let’s take a look at these incredible innovations:
First up is Hamilton Robson, in collaboration with 1Up Studios and the Nerve Centre, with their 'Belfast Stories Generator'. Imagine an AI-powered interviewer and a holographic display that encourages natural conversations, helping to uncover and archive authentic, unfiltered 'Belfast Stories'. This creates a scalable, searchable digital library of our city’s unique narratives.
Then there’s Liquid City’s 'Life Stories' – a fantastic free mobile app. This app uses an AI interviewer to help people capture and share their own memories. It asks thoughtful questions and shapes responses into personal narratives, all in the user's own words. You can keep stories private, share them with loved ones, or add them to a growing public archive. Hundreds of stories have already been collected, opening new possibilities for public storytelling and preserving memories across Belfast.
Finally, Ekaterina Solomatina presented 'Memory Fractal'. This prototype ingeniously combines mixed reality and 5G technology to craft a narrative sculpture. It offers a new way to digitally tell the story of Belfast’s vibrant artistic heritage, allowing visitors to interact with virtual 3D-scanned and community-gathered 'story-sculptures' within the physical space.
Speaking at the unveiling, Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Paul Doherty, expressed his delight. "Augment the City has truly encouraged innovators to revolutionise our tourism experiences," he said, envisioning these innovations making Belfast Stories a "truly global destination." Dr Adrian Johnston MBE, Chair of the Belfast Region City Deal’s Digital Advisory Board, highlighted the initiative's goal: "It’s about supporting collaborative innovation for local economic and social impact, and encouraging our SMEs to adopt digital technologies. The potential here is truly global."
These groundbreaking projects are not just about attracting visitors; they’re about empowering our local businesses, fostering innovation, and celebrating the unique spirit and stories of Belfast. We look forward to seeing how these technologies shape our city's future, with more exciting developments from the Belfast Region City Deal Challenge programme expected soon.