The Napier Museum, set up over a century ago, attracts good footfall but to make it even more visitor-friendly, a mobile app and a website were launched by the Museum Department here on Wednesday.
The app ‘Napier Museum,’ designed by Invis, lets visitors know the days the museum is open and the timings. There is a map that helps locate the museum. The home screen provides them options such as history of the museum, its collections that include bronze images, wood carvings, and stone sculptures, nearby places of interest, and a gallery.
However, it is the ‘Live guide feature’ that is the most interesting here. A Bluetooth low-energy device — a beacon kept near an artefact — transmits signals that are captured by the app and helps identify the artefact and shows its details along with the related audio. This app is especially beneficial for the visually challenged.
The beacon will be set up for 200 artefacts. It has also been designed to allow for rotation of objects. The app is available in English, Hindi, and Malayalam and can be downloaded from the Play Store.
The Napier Museum website too has been designed by Invis and offers visitors a virtual tour through the museum.
