Public museums in Bologna, Italy, are launching a novel way to initiate audio tours. Thanks to an integration of QR codes (two-dimensional “quick response” codes and TTS (text-to-speech) rendering software from Loquendo. The service has already been launched in Bologna’s Museum of Archeology, Collezioni Comunali d’Arte (City Art Collections) and Museo Civico del Risorgimento (Museum of the Italian Resurgence).

In a press release, Mauro Felicori, Director of Culture and Public Museums, Bologna, says that the new service is designed to engage more young people in cultural activities and to familiarize them with the art museums in their backyard. In the coming months, you can expect to see QR codes gracing historical buildings, churches and other monuments. These “tags” will be used to initiate TTS-based read-outs of descriptive information.

The value of the deal to Loquendo was undisclosed, but there is clearly global potential to introduce more layers to this cultural mash-up. The link to maps and location-based services is pretty obvious. The ability to conduct guided tours would be very well-suited for travelers of all ages.

Categories: Articles

Tags: Text-to-Speech, Voice Mashups, Loquendo