Historical recreations with AR overlay allow users to see how buildings and cities looked in different eras through interactive and immersive experiences.

Imagined Future Scenarios

Augmented Reality, Possible Futures, Long Term (5 - 10 years)

Scenario Generated from 'How Do Architects Forecast Trends? In Conversation with Research and Inovation Co-Directors of Perkins&Will' - ArchDaily

Future Arc and Implications

Grow Arc

Social Impact: Increased tourism and historical understanding fuel global cultural exchange and appreciation.

Technological Impact: Refined AR and 5G infrastructure enables seamless and highly detailed historical recreations, advancing related fields like AI.

Ecological Impact: Increased tourism strains resources and generates waste in historical sites, demanding sustainable solutions.

Economic Impact: Booming tourism sector drives economic growth, particularly for heritage sites and AR technology companies.

Political Impact: Governments invest in AR infrastructure and heritage preservation to attract tourism and enhance national image.

Narrative: AR-powered historical tourism explodes, enriching cultural experiences and driving economic prosperity, though sustainability becomes a key concern.

Collapse Arc

Social Impact: Widespread system failures leave AR experiences inaccessible, contributing to social unrest and a focus on basic survival.

Technological Impact: Infrastructure breakdown and resource scarcity cripple AR technology and historical recreation projects.

Ecological Impact: Environmental disasters damage historical sites and further disrupt access to AR technologies.

Economic Impact: Economic depression decimates tourism and AR industries, prioritizing essential needs over leisure.

Political Impact: Governments struggle to maintain order amidst collapsing infrastructure and social services, neglecting heritage preservation.

Narrative: Catastrophic collapse renders AR historical recreations obsolete as society focuses on survival in a broken world.

Discipline Arc

Social Impact: Governments control historical narratives through AR, shaping public perception and reinforcing national identity.

Technological Impact: AR technology is standardized and strictly regulated, with limited user customization and government oversight.

Ecological Impact: AR experiences are used to educate and enforce environmental regulations, promoting sustainable behaviors.

Economic Impact: AR development is centrally planned and focused on government-approved projects, limiting private sector innovation.

Political Impact: Authoritarian regimes use AR to propagate state ideologies and suppress dissent by controlling historical representations.

Narrative: A highly regulated world uses AR recreations to enforce societal norms, control historical narratives, and promote specific values from the top-down.

Transform Arc

Social Impact: Decentralized AR creation empowers individuals and communities to share diverse and previously marginalized historical perspectives.

Technological Impact: Open-source AR platforms and AI democratize historical research and artistic expression, creating personalized experiences.

Ecological Impact: Minimalist and eco-friendly AR implementations minimize environmental impact and promote sustainable tourism practices.

Economic Impact: A creator economy emerges, fostering independent AR developers and artists who share their work globally.

Political Impact: AR technology challenges traditional power structures by allowing users to question and reinterpret official historical narratives.

Narrative: A spiritual or technological awakening leads to the democratization and personalization of historical recreations, empowering individuals and challenging established narratives through AR.

Product ideas generated based on this scenario

Eco-Traces AR

An AR overlay that visualizes the environmental impact of different eras alongside historical recreations. Users can see the carbon footprint, resource consumption, and pollution levels of past societies, prompting reflection on sustainable practices.

Historical Footfall Manager

A system that uses AR and real-time data to monitor and manage tourist footfall in historical sites. It directs users to less crowded areas or suggests alternative visitation times to minimize ecological damage and preserve the authenticity of the location.

Survival AR Navigator

A rugged, offline-capable AR app that helps users navigate post-collapse landscapes using landmarks and simplified historical data. It highlights former building footprints, resource locations (wells, gardens), and potential shelter based on pre-collapse maps and architectural records.

Memory Repository AR Echoes

A system that allows people to leave virtual 'time capsules' associated with physical locations. These capsules contain stories, skills, and knowledge vital for rebuilding civilization. Others can discover and learn from these remnants using simple AR interfaces, preserving cultural heritage and practical skills.

Historical Compliance AR

An AR system that overlays approved historical narratives onto locations, subtly guiding user perception and reinforcing government-approved ideologies. Deviations from the official version trigger alerts and alternative viewpoints are suppressed.

Historical Roleplay AR

A mandated AR program that immerses citizens in controlled historical simulations. Participants are assigned roles and expected to adhere to prescribed behaviors reflective of state-approved historical narratives. Rewards and punishments reinforce compliance.

AR Ancestry Weaver

An open-source platform that allows users to create and share personalized historical recreations based on their family history and ancestral stories. The tool crowd-sources historical data and invites users to contribute diverse perspectives, challenging hegemonic narratives.

Ghost City Tours: Declassified AR

A service providing access to AR experiences visualizing previously censored or under-represented historical narratives within a city. Users can explore hidden histories, uncover suppressed stories, and reflect on diverse interpretations of past events based on verified, but not widely distributed, artefacts.