Karlskrona UNESCO Inspiration Day – showcasing RESIST demos and prototypes
- Post by: Marco Bertoni
- 16th October 2024
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On Monday, September 16th, 2024, the World Heritage Naval City of Karlskrona hosted Inspiration Day at Marinmuseum, focusing on democracy, sustainable development and technological innovation. Organized by the Municipality of Karlskrona, the event attracted 90 participants eager to explore how Karlskrona’s UNESCO World Heritage site can serve as a resource for promoting democratic societal development while addressing the challenges of climate change.
A key highlight of the event was the Pop-up Climate Tech Tour, where students from Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) took center stage, presenting a series of innovative demos showcasing the future of heritage preservation in a changing climate. The tour featured the use of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and game-based technology, offering an engaging and interactive way to explore these issues.
The Pop-up Climate Tech Tour is part of an initiative launched by Region Blekinge and BTH to raise awareness of climate risks and support local authorities in planning climate adaptation solutions. It is one of the outputs of the EU RESIST project, which involves 12 European regions across 10 countries, focusing on developing innovative solutions to enhance resilience to floods, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, and soil erosion.
One standout demo featured an immersive visualization of a proposed coastal defense system, inspired by Karlskrona’s historic 1683 fortifications. Using VR, participants could virtually walk along the proposed structure, exploring its cultural, functional, and recreational potential.
Another prototype demonstrated how analog media can be enhanced through AR to facilitate dialogue with diverse target audiences. The final demo showcased how Internet of Things (IoT) technology and digital twins can be used to monitor and preserve culturally significant buildings.
Several additional proof-of-concept projects were also on display, including KRYPTIK, a gamified experience designed to engage younger visitors with the heritage site. This interactive game is housed in a stationary cabinet and involves completing tasks at various location around the island of Trossö. Upon solving challenges, participants are rewarded with a 3D-printed coin representing key city landmarks. Another notable prototype was the “storytelling” smart bin, developed by students during the 2022 Value Innovation course. The bin shares information about the city’s heritage and is operational at the Tourist Office during the summer and at Blekinge Museum year-round.
“This event has given us a deeper understanding of how we can use new technologies to protect and develop locations and building of high cultural significance.” said Elena Peverada, World Heritage Coordinator for Karlskrona Municipality. “We highly value the collaboration with BTH and its students to help us visualize both the challenges and potential solutions for our heritage site.”