Parliament’s virtual reality
A free app that takes viewers on a virtual reality tour of Parliament has been given the thumbs-up by Auckland students.
Ma¯ngere College students were the first in the country to experience the new Parliament XR app, which was launched by Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard last week.
The app, developed by Wellington-based Projectr, allows users to step into Parliament buildings and take a 360-degree virtual tour.
‘‘Wow’’ and ‘‘amazing’’ were words that poured from students’ mouths as they took the tour.
Sallyvita Anthony, 14, said it was both enjoyable and scary. ‘‘I was falling over people. ‘‘That was the scary part. But I loved the throne and the statues.’’
Rihari Scrivener was another who was sold on the app.
‘‘It’s really amazing. Everything in it is just amazing.’’
Glassie Fabian Thomas was equally impressed. ‘‘I love it, the narration and the 360-degree view especially. I’m certainly going to download the app.’’
Mallard said the app aimed to get the community more engaged with Parliament, especially those living outside of Wellington.
‘‘This started because a number of people told us that Parliament was not engaging well with the community,’’ he said.
‘‘What this does is it gives people a look at the physical area.
‘‘But it will also link them into ways that they can do petitions, make submissions and actually have their voice heard directly.
‘‘They love virtual reality, they loved the tour. They can do things in ways that my generation would not have thought of.’’
Product director Claire Barber said new technologies like virtual reality were becoming more mainstream. ‘‘We’re able to create and deliver low-cost, effective technologies and solutions that bring Parliament right into kids’ classrooms.’’