A pilot project with 5G technology will allow, starting on December 22, to offer augmented virtual reality of several businesses in Lleida and various places of historical interest in the city.
These are the popular statue of Indibil i Mandoni, the historic Lo Baratillo toy store (closed years ago) and three establishments in the commercial area of ??Lleida, where citizens will be able to interact through a mobile application that will offer animations to explore the environment commercial of the city and remember places that have already disappeared.
In three establishments (Calçats Giró, Flors Carol and Foto Estil), there will be holographic representations of their owners, acting as ‘personal shoppers’, superimposed on the façade of each establishment.
The pilot project, presented this Tuesday in Lleida, is part of the 5G Ponent Area, promoted by the Generalitat, the Mobile World Capital Barcelona and the i2Cat Foundation, and includes the Lleida Chamber of Commerce, the Provincial Council, the Paeria and the company Invelon Technologies as local promoters.
The test validates the 5G technology infrastructure in the Lleida Commercial Axis, since all content is downloaded immediately from the cloud, and will be operational until January 30.
Through an application, users can enjoy animations, which have been made with facial and body tracking technology, on the emblematic statue of Indibil and Mandoni. In fact, Indíbil himself is the one who invites visitors to explore various shops in the Axis and provides them with information about the history of the capital of Segrià.
In addition, the proposal will allow you to know what the old ‘Lo Baratillo’ store was like and remember all the toys that hung from the balconies.
The general director of the Digital Society of the Generalitat, Liliana Arroyo, explained that 5G initiatives have been developed in Catalonia linked to the fields of health or mobility, but nothing like this had yet been done in commercial matters. Arroyo considered that infrastructures and systems like this are “key” to guarantee “equity and territorial cohesion.”
The representative of the company (Invelon Technologies) that has developed the application, Alan Navarro, explained that the experience should serve to “identify and test how augmented reality technology can improve and boost trade in the Axis.” For her part, the Councilor for Culture and Promotion of the Paeria de Lleida, has defended the role of 5G technology so that the city can gain “capitality” in the territory.
Finally, Eduard Martín, COI of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, ??has said that they work to boost local commerce, especially in small and medium-sized cities because “it is more difficult to maintain.” In addition, he explained that the project wants to offer an “another way of shopping and experiencing the city” to the application’s users. “They can be used with a mobile phone and will not depend on other technologies such as glasses,” said Martín.
Merchants upload the desired content to a website and can create completely dynamic and digital storefronts. Animations can be consumed in augmented reality and with 360° videos. Additionally, you can participate in a trivia game related to the information received.
