Verizon and Cooper Hewitt Call on Innovators to Create Interactive Museum Experiences
Verizon partners with the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum to create innovative digital interactions in museums through a new competition. The initiative, Activating Smithsonian Open Access, will award $10,000 to up to six teams to develop prototypes using 2D and 3D digitized artifacts. This follows a trend where Verizon uses 5G technology for augmented reality (AR) experiences, enhancing educational content for students and remote learners. Verizon aims to improve engagement with museum collections while fostering creative collaborations.
- Verizon's partnership with Cooper Hewitt enhances digital museum experiences.
- Up to six teams will receive $10,000 to innovate using Smithsonian collections.
- The use of AR and 5G technology improves educational content accessibility.
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What you need to know:
- Verizon sponsors a Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum competition that commissions creative technologists to build tools that introduce exciting new digital museum interactions
- Immersive educational experiences that bring to life many Smithsonian collection objects are available today from Verizon
- Verizon Media’s Immersive enables students to use QR codes to launch these Augmented Reality (AR) exhibits at home or on the go
NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s Interaction Lab, are calling on creators and technology entrepreneurs to build interactive tools that redefine the way people visit, interact with and learn from museums. Launching later this fall, Activating Smithsonian Open Access will award
“As our first public commissioning venture for the Interaction Lab, we’re thrilled to be supporting independent creators and teams in creating new digital tools and immersive experiences with Smithsonian's incredible library of Open Access collections. Not only does this offer new approaches to engaging new audiences, but also represents a new way of working at Cooper Hewitt,” says Carolyn Royston, Cooper Hewitt’s Chief Experience Officer.
Verizon Launches AR Museum Experience
Verizon has already utilized the Smithsonian Open Access Initiative’s collection to aid parents, students and teachers looking for new and engaging educational content. Verizon is offering a first wave of content that brings to life artifacts housed across Smithsonian’s network of museums and galleries. Verizon’s 5G Labs and RYOT, Verizon Media’s next generation immersive studio, used augmented reality (AR) and narrated audio to complement 3D assets made available to the public by the Smithsonian.
You can now point your phone or tablet at a QR code, and the museum artifact will virtually jump out of your device onto the table. Imagine learning all about how the woolly mammoth became extinct while walking around its skeleton in 3D from various angles. The first wave of Verizon’s experiences also includes content and artifacts about Hellen Keller, Anne Sullivan, the Wright Flyer, and a Supernova to name a few. These next gen content experiences, created by Verizon Media Immersive - the largest online XR platform for advertising and content, powered by 5G - can be accessed via webAR by visiting Verizon 5G Labs and Yahoo! Life which will feature a special QR code to place the museum artifact in one’s space.
“Whether kids have returned to the classroom or are remote learning, we need to think of new ways technology can help them engage with educational content,” said Sanyogita Shamsunder, Vice President of Technology Development and 5G Labs at Verizon. “Activating Smithsonian Open Access is a great step forward toward immersive, interactive, and remote experiences made with the creative community. Verizon’s new AR museum sets the stage for even more amazing enhancements when paired with the massive bandwidth and low latency of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network.” Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband is now available in parts of 55 cities.
Moving the World Forward Though Action
Verizon recently unveiled its Citizen Verizon responsible business plan which includes an education platform geared towards grades K-12 that will address the new hybrid learning models emerging from COVID-19. The platform will support district leaders, teachers, parents and students; enhance teacher resources with a focus on remote learning and expert tech guidance for districts; provide parents with digital literacy training; and offer engaging content for under-resourced youth.
Learn more about Verizon 5G technology here.
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is celebrating its 20th year as one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of
