Belfast City Hall recently played host to a specialist industry event marking the finale of the 'Augment the City' Challenge. Three groundbreaking immersive technology prototypes were revealed, offering a glimpse into how future visitors might engage with landmark sites such as the upcoming 'Belfast Stories' attraction.

The initiative, led by Belfast City Council and supported by the Belfast Region City Deal, saw a £575,000 Challenge Fund distributed to local SMEs. The programme aimed to bolster the city's creative and innovation sectors by providing the funding and skills necessary to explore emerging digital technologies.

Following a competitive process, three firms each received £100,000 to finalise their concepts.

The prototypes include:

• Belfast Stories Generator (Hamilton Robson): Developed in partnership with 1Up Studios and the Nerve Centre, this features a holographic interface and an AI interviewer. It is designed to facilitate natural dialogue and create a searchable, scalable archive of authentic local narratives.

• Life Stories (Liquid City): A mobile application utilizing an AI interviewer to help users document their personal memories. The app uses adaptive questioning to turn responses into written narratives, which can be kept private or contributed to a public archive. • Memory Fractal (Ekaterina Solomatina): A digital narrative sculpture that uses 5G and mixed reality. It allows visitors to interact with virtual 3D-scanned sculptures that tell the story of Belfast's artistic heritage within a physical space.

The event also served as a platform to announce a major new Belfast Region City Deal Challenge programme, with further details expected to be released via council channels in the coming months.

Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Paul Doherty, expressed his enthusiasm for the project: "I'm delighted to attend this Augment the City 'Celebrations and Insights' industry event to hear more about this fantastic competition over the last 18 months and see the final three companies' exciting immersive tech prototypes, designed to enhance the visitor experience at tourism attractions like Belfast Stories."

He added that the goal is for the Royal Avenue-based 'Belfast Stories' hub, slated for a 2030 opening, to integrate such innovations to become a "truly global destination."

Dr Adrian Johnston MBE, Innovation Commissioner for Belfast, noted that the project is primarily about "supporting collaborative innovation across sectors for local economic and social impact." He praised the local entrepreneurs involved, stating that the concepts have the "potential to go global."

More information on Augment the City can be found at www.smartbelfast.city or on the Belfast Region City Deal programme of investment, visit www.belfastregioncitydeal.co.uk