Visitors to Foxton Locks, Leicestershire, are once again able to see the boats using the amazing Inclined Plane, albeit virtually, through the development of an Augmented Reality (AR) app.

This innovative idea was part of a wider redevelopment of Foxton Locks and designed to not only bring the Inclined Plane back to life, but also to engage, educate and inspire visitors of all ages with a immersive Museum experience integrated with the existing Foxton Locks Trail. When it went live in 2015, the project created a new visitor experience at Foxton Canal Museum as well as boosting ticket revenues and visitor spend, since then it has become a family favourite.

Alongside developing and delivering the AR app, as well as a new curved screen theatre which immerses visitors into history of the locks and an interactive experience for children and families, challenging them to simulate the stoking of the boiler to drive the massive boat lift.

The project began at the original Holovis Innovation Campus in Lutterworth, where a 3D model of the Inclined Plane was created in AR. Using a fiducial marker system at Foxton Locks, visitors are able to use their smart phones and tablets to view the Inclined Plane working, all in the exact position barges would have made their actual journeys and all in real time.

The interpretation project was supported by the Arts Council Renaissance Strategic Support Fund. The successful bid to secure this funding was led by Leicester Shire Promotions with support from The Canal and River Trust, Foxton Inclined Plane Trust, Leicestershire County Council and Harborough District Council.

Stuart Hetherington, CEO of Holovis explained:

“We are delighted to deploy our knowledge and expertise in preserving this fantastic piece of local history by bringing it back to life using the latest technology. Usually, we use virtual and augmented reality to help our commercial clients create sophisticated 3D design environments within the automotive, manufacturing, defence, and theme park industries. This saves them time, costs and labour, by creating the conditions where they only need to commit to building physical models or actual prototypes when they are certain about the final design. We’re excited to be using these cutting edge technologies in a different way, giving the public a chance to explore Foxton Locks as it once was through an interactive, immersive experience.”

Martin Peters, Chief Executive of Leicester Shire Promotions, the tourism organisation for Leicester and Leicestershire said:

“We’re privileged to work with Holovis as the key delivery partner for this project. As well as bringing a different perspective to the brief, they have also supported the technology hardware requirements of the project.”