Fifty years after the first humans landed on the moon, a Polish start-up has developed an augmented reality app for NASA and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, that brings that first, historic moonwalk to life for new generations. NASA gave the company access to historical materials, including photos and recordings of the moon landing. Some of these were incorporated into the app; when the rocket launches, real conversations can be heard in the background. Senior vice president of the Smithsonian institute stated that „The app is our first experiment using augmented reality to relive history and enables viewers to experience the Apollo programme in a much more personal way.”

The free app complements the Smithsonian Channel’s TV series on the history of the moon landing programme.

 
STUNNING 5TH CENTURY TREASURE FOUND LYING UNDER PILE OF LEAVES IN FOREST

Treasure from the 5th Century has been found in a forest in North-Western Poland. The gold treasure was discovered accidentally this winter by a man who found a metal clasp under a pile of leaves while out in the woods near a village in the Western Pomerania. The ornate discovery came as a complete surprise to local foresters. The pieces may have been made by a wandering founder who travelled the area looking for people to buy his wares.

One local forester was quoted as saying “When one of the employees of the museum in Koszalin called us and announced that treasure had been found on our territory, I almost fell off my chair. But I was truly lost for words when I saw the find.”

After the discovery, scientists carried out excavation work.

According to collectors who have intimate knowledge of the area, the discovery needs to be considered in the turbulent historical context of Europe at the time, noting that “[The clasps] were probably formed around the middle of the 5th Century, a period of confusion and chaos caused by the migration of barbarian tribes and the collapse of the Roman Empire.”

GDYNIA GETS EXPERIMENTAL WITH SUSTAINABILITY

This week, sees the staging of the 12th edition of the Gdynia Design Days exhibition, an annual festival which highlights the latest trends and good practice in the world of design.

According to the artistic director, the festival is ‘more about inspiration than showing off commercial products. This year’s theme, ‘polarisation’, tries to tackle the conflicts of modern life, such as those between consumerism and minimalism and issues of sustainability run through many of the exhibitions.

The exhibition takes place in the EU-funded Pomeranian Science and Technology Park, a hotbed of innovation. With 2,000 tech entrepreneurs, industrial designers, architects based there, it’s the biggest such complex in Poland.

TH/RGEN