The story behind Historiscope
A peculiar need brought Historiscope into existence.
In 2020, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) was facing a challenge. One where they observed a lack of engagement and interaction between the tourists and their monuments.
The humble telescope being an interactive device caught our attention.
Together, we reimagined the telescope and built Scotland’s first Augmented Reality enabled viewing scope – Historiscope.
People behind Historiscope
Historiscope is a product of SENSEcity.
SENSEcity Studio is an Immersive Design Studio based in Glasgow that specialises in the development of Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) experiences for the cultural heritage and tourism sectors. The team holds expertise in designing and developing custom hardware using sustainable methods and software products. So, heritage environments can be brought to life and visitors and inspired to engage with culture in a whole new way.
This made SENSEcity the perfect choice to bring Historiscope alive.
Why we built the Historiscope?
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is the lead public body established to investigate, care for, and promote Scotland’s historic environment. In 2020, HES was facing a challenge.
The challenge was to reimagine their existing tourist telescope. They wanted to develop a new product that would allow visitors to engage more directly with a monument from a precise outdoor viewpoint by delivering a range of content, including historical, reconstructed, or inaccessible views.
SENSEcity embarked on the challenge to design and develop a new generation viewing scope, which later became Scotland’s first Augmented Reality enabled viewing scope.
The journey behind Historiscope
In September 2020, we were issued a challenge by Historic Environment Scotland through Creative Informatics. The challenge was to move beyond the traditional telescope and enhance the visitor experience through a wholly reimagined product.
Countless ideas were thrown. We followed an iterative design process that saw multiple 3D renders and a million sketches. All to develop a proof of concept at Urquhart Castle, Scotland.
We moved to research content for our first Historiscope device. In collaboration with the historians at HES, our archaeological expert scripted an authentic medieval narrative for Urquhart Castle. We used LiDAR (Laser Scans), historical archive imagery, and archaeological grey literature to ensure period and locational accuracy.
We blended an ancient monolithic structure with a futuristic headset to create the first paper prototype of the Historiscope. Metal fabricators helped bring these drawings to life.
On 13th of September 2021, the proof of concept was installed at Urquhart Castle. Even in its short run of two weeks, it was a roaring success. This motivated us to take it to the next level.
The success at Urquhart led to further support from HES and UKRI. Innovate UK honored SENSEcity with funding that helped us refine the Historiscope further.
With our new funding, we developed the next prototype at Stirling Castle. The user feedback from Urquhart Castle was heavily applied in the design process. We deployed an ergonomic step for easier access to the device and upgraded the AR technology for a refined experience.
The prototype at Stirling Castle was unveiled, and the public enjoyed a futuristic interactive heritage experience. This became our first operational device, and it was savored by approximately 20k monthly visitors.
Creative Edge Award 20'
The first time our founder pitched at Scottish Edge, she had recently graduated and pitched our first product, SENSEcity Walks.
A few rounds later and after 3 different applications and a whole new product, we got to take home the prestigious Creative Edge Award 20!
We have been named as the Scotland Region winners in the Rising Stars 5.0 competition.
The process behind Historiscope
From research to installation
