Museum's fun app a real trail Blazer

Children can join dragon on virtual reality tour of exhibition

WEST Berkshire Museum has introduced an augmented reality app to make the museum more engaging for children.

The mobile app was launched yesterday (Wednesday) to coincide with half-term and features the museum mascot, Blaze the dragon, as a virtual tour-guide.

It features Blaze’s West Berkshire Museum Adventure. where the dragon leads children and their families on a tour around the museum’s permanent exhibition, providing educational information and cheeky quips as he goes.

Blaze’s character is voiced by actor Adam Brown, originally from Hungerford, who starred as Ori the Dwarf in The Hobbit trilogy as well as appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and most recently The Emoji Movie.

The app, which works on iPads and iPhone 6 and later, is free to download from the Apple appstore (search West Berkshire Museum) or families can borrow an iPad provided at the museum.

It is the brainchild of Newbury-based Parachute Animation Studios, which specialises in CGI, visual effects, virtual reality and augmented reality.

The business works with companies across all industries, but was particularly keen on partnering with a body from the museums and heritage sector for this project.

Company director Ian Clinch said: “The project was entirely down to local collaboration.

“From the app development at our studios to sound-recording at Hogan Music and support from our partner Enigma Digital, it’s been a local project from start to finish.”

West Berkshire Council executive member for health and wellbeing, leisure and culture Rick Jones (Con, Purley on Thames) said: “This is a great step forward for West Berkshire Museum.

“The app encourages children visiting the museum to engage with the exhibits and really makes use of mobile devices in an entertaining and educational way.

“It absolutely fits in with the museum’s ethos of making learning fun.”