About the Santoña City Council

The Santoña City Council (Cantabria) promoted "The World Map: An immersive experience about Juan de la Cosa and the discovery of America." This project seeks to disseminate culture and heritage through XR technology, offering an educational and emotional experience to honor Juan de la Cosa, transforming historical narrative into a new museographic language.

The Need for a New Narrative Language: The "Immersive Historical Documentary"

The main need of the project "The World Map: An immersive experience about Juan de la Cosa and the discovery of America" is articulated around the redefinition of cultural dissemination and the experience of historical heritage. Its main objectives are:

• Redefine the Narrative: Replace the passive museum with an "immersive historical documentary" where the user lives the history, not just observes it.
• Experiential Learning: Generate an active sensory experience by fusing historical rigor, emotion, and XR technology.
• Technology at the Service of Heritage: Use Virtual/Mixed Reality (XR) as a universal language to honor Juan de la Cosa and his 1500 world map, uniting learning and feeling.

Our Solution and Technological Contribution

To meet the challenge of transforming historical dissemination, Invelon has developed a comprehensive technological solution under the premise of "technology with purpose": innovation is not presented as an end in itself, but as an invisible means that enhances emotion and facilitates universal access to knowledge.

The technical solution is structured on four fundamental pillars:

• Places the user inside the story: The user "does not observe history: they inhabit it," becoming a witness and protagonist of the journey of discovery alongside the cartographer Juan de la Cosa.
• Hybrid Reality: Integrates a modular XR engine that combines Mixed Reality (MR) for contextual introduction (superimposing historical elements onto the user's physical environment) and Virtual Reality (VR) for total immersion in the main acts.
• Natural Interaction and Contextual Intelligence: We eliminate physical controllers through native Hand Tracking. Hand tracking technology allows intuitive interaction (gestures like pointing or grasping) with the story, making the interface transparent.
• Audio and Accessibility: Incorporates spatial 3D audio for a coherent and multisensory sound environment, along with dynamic multi-language subtitles and an ergonomic design for a seated experience accessible to all audiences.

The Result: Living History and the "Revealed Map"

The project is "The World Map: An immersive experience about Juan de la Cosa and the discovery of America," also combining professional studio recordings with chroma key, which allow the historical character to be integrated into a coherent, rigorous, and visually refined virtual environment, reinforcing the sense of presence and the emotional bond with the story.

Its main result and purpose is the redefinition of cultural dissemination and historical heritage through XR technology (Extended Reality), in addition to:

• Creation of a new narrative format: The development of an "immersive historical documentary" that fuses rigor, emotion, and interactivity, placing the visitor "inside the story" as a witness and protagonist of history.
• Generation of experiential learning: The project converts historical knowledge into a sensory, emotional, and educational experience where the user naturally interacts with the environment (moving ships, pointing out constellations) and relives the process of discovery.
• New cultural and social paradigm: Establishes a universal, accessible, and fluid cultural communication model that seeks to transcend the contemplation of museums and connect generations through shared wonder, honoring the figure of Juan de la Cosa and his 1500 world map.

Benefits of this Collaboration with INVELON

The benefits of the project "The World Map: An immersive experience about Juan de la Cosa and the discovery of America" extend to various fields: education, technological innovation, cultural impact, and accessibility. These are some main ones:

• Experiential Learning through "Assisted Narrative Interaction": Thanks to the contextual interaction design, the user learns by doing. Complex concepts such as stellar navigation or cartography are assimilated by manipulating objects and participating in the action. This methodology transforms curiosity into active memory, achieving a in-depth understanding of the historical context.
• Innovation in Heritage Restitution: The project positions the museum as a benchmark for innovation. Beyond the visual spectacle, the solution acts as a tool for historical restitution, validated by a scientific committee. It demonstrates how XR technology can recover collective memory with sensitivity, educating without indoctrinating and inspiring emotion through shared wonder.
• Connection with Collective Memory: The project is conceived as an act of historical restitution, paying homage to the figure of Juan de la Cosa and connecting generations through the shared wonder of discovery.
• Universal Accessibility and Inclusive Design: The experience has been designed to be enjoyed by all audiences. It includes optimized ergonomics to prevent fatigue (seated experience), dynamic subtitles that adapt to the user's vision, and an interaction system that does not require prior technological experience. This democratizes access to advanced culture, eliminating cognitive and technical barriers.