UK innovators to transform airport navigation via the metaverse
Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa recently partnered with Kenya Airways (KQ) to develop innovative solutions for improving accessibility and navigation at airports. The cutting-edge technologies will enhance and simplify the airport experience for travellers and bring the future of travel to life.
Imagine being in the comfort of your own home, and being able to fully navigate the airport in advance of your trip. You could explore where the restaurants and shops are, locate the nearest bathroom facilities, and where the gates are situated. Sometimes they are positioned far away from the main retail area or food court, and cause some distress to passengers on the day trying to find out where to go amongst the lights, sounds and hustle of a crowded space. The innovative solutions will provide a virtual comfort and significantly reduce stress, making the journey much more enjoyable.
Wonder14 and Gazooky Studios are two UK-based innovators with experience in next generation immersive experiences and no-code augmented reality solutions that have been selected to bring these solutions to life for the airline through an Open Innovation Challenge, delivered by the Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa project.
Digital guide
Wonder14 proposes a personal digital guide, from car park to gate, which advises on required timings, regulations, languages, etc. via zone-based shepherding of passengers. Wonder14 says this will be delivered via a scalable cloud platform, smart hardware and personal devices that are suited for people with accessibility needs.
Mobile app
On their part Gazooky are looking to create a mobile app with wayfinding tools, trail activity and versatile CMS (Content Management System) for the airline’s digital assets. KQ feels Gazooky’s solution would especially suit younger travellers and those who find the airport experience challenging.
The Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa project supports organisations like KQ and many others in Nigeria and South Africa through the Open Innovation Intervention, which enables them to benefit from supply chain strengthening by building a route for greater and more diverse innovation content in supply chains as well as quick and simple exposure to new technologies and markets.
Trialling technologies
The interactive technologies proposed by Gazooky and Wonder14 have been tested at Heathrow Airport, showing their effectiveness in addressing travel challenges. After successful trials, these innovative solutions will undergo further testing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. The upcoming tests will evaluate how well the technologies adapt to a different airport environment, specifically catering to the needs of Kenya Airways’ passengers.
Open Innovation Intervention
Innovate UK’s Open Innovation Intervention is intended to deliver technology solutions from areas which challenge holders do not normally have exposure. It is also time efficient as requires little time commitment from challenge holders. The bulk of the resource and time are provided by Global Alliance Africa’s expertise at no charge, being fully funded by the UK government.
About Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa
Global Alliance Africa is a six-year project funded by UK International Development through Innovate UK (GCRF) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
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Open Innovation is the belief that good ideas can come from anywhere, so it is worth looking widely, beyond your usual supply chains. Innovate UK has well-established methods for supporting Open Innovation, having run 200+ innovation challenges across the world. Our model allows diverse collaborators to respond to shared industry challenges in a mutually beneficial way.