News: DCU's IIDB works with Wexford CoCo in launch of AI technology to explore smart tourism and public engagement; Two new writers-in-residence announced at DCU for 2022

DCU's IIDB works with Wexford CoCo in launch of AI technology to explore smart tourism and public engagement

WEXFORD County Council in collaboration with the Irish Institute of Digital Business at Dublin City University is using Hello Lamp Post to bring state of the art interactive AI technology to various sites across Gorey, encouraging the public to engage with objects in local streets in an innovative and playful way while exploring how technology can change how the public think about and interact with the public realm in Gorey.

The new technology will enable members of the public to interact with objects in their everyday surroundings - all through text messaging on their phones.

By scanning a QR code on a public object such as a lamp post or bench, members of the public will be able to engage in a friendly two-way conversation via text, enabling real-time answers to questions and information on Gorey town’s rich variety of cultural sites and landmarks.

Starting at Market House, people will be able to ‘chat’ with objects along the stretch which finishes at Ashdown Park including Gorey Station and Civic Centre. With an SMS enabled phone, they can say ‘Hello’ - sending a text to a particular object, for example, ‘Hello Bench’ and have fun conversations with each object.

The public will also be asked to share insights about their experience and vision for the future of the area on an ongoing basis, which will be anonymously fed directly to the Irish Institute of Digital Business at DCU and Wexford County Council.

This pilot project is part of a wider “Town of Things” pilot project funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development under the Digital Innovation Programme 2021. In addition to Hello Lamp Post, connected sensors will also be placed along Gorey Main Street to measure air quality and noise throughout the day as well as the amount of vehicles and pedestrian traffic passing through the street. Wexford County Council and the Irish Institute of Digital Business at DCU will be undertaking a series of research and outreach projects to support the project including student workshops, hackathons and other promotional events.

Two new writers-in-residence announced at DCU for 2022

DCU has appointed writer Sadhbh Devlin, as IrishLanguage Writer-in-Residence and Dave Rudden as Writer-in -Residence.

Both writers will take up their posts in January 2022. Sadhbh will be located in Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge and Dave at the School of English. The roles are funded jointly by the Arts Council and DCU.

Sadhbh Devlin is primarily a writer of literature in Irish for children and teenagers but also writes fiction in Irish for adult readers. She has published three Irish-language picturebooks with Futa Fata.

Dave Rudden is a graduate of St. Patrick’s College, Dave Rudden is an author, actor and creative writing teacher based in Dublin. His first novel, Knights of the Borrowed Dark, was called ‘a magical debut’ by the Guardian. Knights went on to win the 2016 Irish Book Award for Best Senior Children's Novel.