Thanks to the latest advances in wireless technology, tourists in Britain's historic towns and cities can now experience realistic sound recreations - or 'Soundscapes' - of famous events in the open air.
The Appliance Studio - as part of the Mobile Bristol joint project between it, Bristol University and Hewlett-Packard - has developed new GPS mobile computer technology that uses directional sound for the first time.
Known as 'geo sound', the new technology enables historic towns and tourist authorities to restage famous events from the past, combining the benefits of a museum guided tour and cinema-like 3D sound effects and delivered directly to visitors via the latest generation of hand-held mobile devices.
Geo sound uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) to pinpoint where the listener is standing, and a digital compass to tell which way they are facing. It is claimed to add a whole new level of realism, because a particular sound - audible through a pair of lightweight headphones - comes from a certain place however the listener moves, or whichever way they are looking.
Bill Sharpe, Director of the Appliance Studio, says: "This is an exciting development in mobile media which will transform the face of the British tourism industry.
“Local authorities can create famous battles, events or every day street scenes which can be brought to life as an audio play or interactive event. We have already had tremendous interest from tourist bodies and are confident that by commercialising this technology, we can breathe new life into tourism.”
leisure-kit keywords: The Appliance Studio
