English
Virtual Tourism is already well underway in the pretty medieval Swiss town of Basilea. It´s an interesting, and novel form of tourism which will no doubt revolutionize travel, and indeed life in general – like entering into a videogame, not just to play, but to live it in the flesh.
On the banks of the River Rin, in the city´s medieval enclave neighbourhood of St. Alban, you can now take a half virtual, half real tour on horseback – where the tourist finds their way across the riverbank with the help of a backpack of electronic equipment, earphones, and a science-fiction style visor which contains a small camera and microphone. This futuristic get-up is called Life Clipper and is the brainchild of Swiss inventor Jan Torpus, who studied in Barcelona, and also German technology expert Nikolas Neecke.
According to the press release instructions for the Life Clipper, once the tourist has been kitted out, they´ll need a guide to assist them as they adjust to seeing the world through the visor. Once on the Rin riverbank, the visitor starts starts their journey, accompanied by the sounds of the water, which are created by sensors in the feet. From here the tourist travels on foot on to the St Alban neighbourhood, feeling and sensing the landscape with his hands, nose and mouth – meanwhile, passing through his virtual vision are images from the medieval times; carriages, espadachines, princes etc.
This project sounds like something from science fiction – the antithesis of rural tourism – and bystanders would probably laugh at the image of somebody in a visor trying to touch, and dodge a horse which isn´t there. This tourism venture has been met with success in Basilea, and could indeed be introduced anywhere in the world – for example: a visit to the holy land during the times of Jesus, or a tea with Penelope in ancient Greece as she waits for Ulysses…
This is a fun and unusual new way of travelling. Surely it won´t be long before we see a new and improved version of Life Clipper – one that isn´t just for tourists, but also for other aspects of our lives. For example; instead of taking the metro to the office or university, we just put on the visor, and are transported from sitting at home in our pyjamas, and virtual work becomes the reality.
Carlos Rosas
If you love adventure, follow the route of the river Rin, find apartments in Vienna . Go to medieval city Basilea in Switzerland and travel back in time.
Translated by: Poppy
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