The museum experience is evolving and is no longer limited to audio devices or explanatory signs. Heritage sites can now improve visitor satisfaction by adding an interactive dimension to their visit, characterized by direct participation via a device or interface (often a touchscreen or tablet). But also an immersive dimension, which aims to immerse the visitor in a narrative environment involving technologies such as virtual reality or augmented reality.

For a museum or a site of historical interest, this new approach to cultural visits allows for a lively and striking narrative that strengthens visitor engagement. It also allows for an active, participatory, and engaging approach, which plays a key role in promoting culture, rather than a pedagogy sometimes perceived as linear, top-down, and static.

Histovery, a pioneering company in augmented reality solutions for heritage and culture

Concretely, how can we support the digitalization of cultural institutions and make visits more immersive, interactive, fun, and user-friendly? Histovery addresses these issues with two types of experiences: in-situ tablets (HistoPads) integrating augmented reality ("augmented visits") and traveling exhibitions, also integrating augmented reality ("augmented exhibitions"). Histovery's promise: to transform the visitor experience, from iconic monuments to more modest sites.

This startup was founded in 2014 by Bruno de Sa Moreira and Edouard Lussan, both history enthusiasts. To design its solutions, the company integrates a development studio for immersive augmented reality experiences.

The HistoPad, the tool that modernizes heritage sites and strengthens engagement

Histovery currently offers its HistoPad, its interactive tablet, to around twenty museums and heritage sites in France and internationally (the Palais de la Conciergerie in Paris, the Citadel of Dinant in Belgium, the Château de Colditz in Germany, the Château de Chambord in Loir-et-Cher, La Coupole d'Helfaut in Hauts-de-France, etc.). Almost all visitors have a tablet in hand during the classic tour of these historic sites. Except for the Château de Chambord and the Alamo in Texas, the tablet is systematically included in the ticket price. ", explains Raphaël Marchou, director of development at Histovery.

Once in hand, the tablet opens up a true journey through time. The person handling it has the ability to scan time doors, integrated into the scenography of the places, and thus has access to exclusive multimedia content, such as 3D reconstructions of historical scenes, 360°, animated scenes, cities to explore... The content is available in several languages to adapt to an international audience, and can also be appreciated by people with disabilities (visually impaired, hearing impaired, people with reduced mobility, and other disabilities). For the institution with which the contract is signed, Histovery guarantees the updating of the content to adapt to the physical scenography of the place or to the new periods of History that the cultural establishment would like to highlight. This is the assurance of not ending up with a digital device that quickly becomes obsolete.

« The HistoPad invites you to dive into the past and see the pieces of a monument as they were at the time, to meet great historical figures associated with the place. But also to virtually handle the objects in the collections, to recontextualize them in their historical environment and to appropriate them better than behind a glass case. Thanks to this service and this technology, which improve the educational and fun nature of the visit, we increase the satisfaction of visitors, who previously had difficulty imagining what the monument might have looked like at the time. ", summarizes Raphaël Marchou, who emphasizes the ergonomics, ease of use and intuitiveness of the HistoPad, particularly for heritage sites that still only use old methods of cultural mediation. He also indicates an increase in visit time, an equally positive effect on attendance and loyalty of cultural sites that are equipped with it.

A concrete example of the HistoPad's application: at Colditz Castle, in German Saxony, the tool recounts the escape attempts of Allied officers, where they were held prisoner during the Second World War. Protected by the Geneva Convention, they had little risk of being injured or killed while trying to escape, and therefore made multiple attempts, with varying degrees of success. Visitors are then immersed in scenes in several locations throughout the castle, following the officers via the tablet as a camera would, and witnessing the various escape attempts.

Augmented exhibition, an innovation in the cultural tourism sector

In the in situ configuration, the device is integrated into the venue all year round and allows for on-site interaction. But the company founded by Bruno De Sa Moreira is also developing its service in the form of a traveling exhibition. This entirely digital format, unprecedented for cultural tourism, aims to transform the visitor experience into an exhibition, which can be deployed in various locations such as museums or monuments, or exhibition spaces. The exhibition is structured around a lightweight or modular scenography, integrating projection areas, interactive terminals, and minimalist decor. The Histopads are also distributed to visitors via dedicated stations, without requiring the presence of original objects on site. To guarantee the historical accuracy of the content, Histovery works with a committee of historians, curators, and experts, responsible for validating each reconstruction. The exhibition " Notre-Dame de Paris, the Augmented Exhibition”, presenting 850 years of history of the famous cathedral has thus traveled to 19 cities: from Washington DC to Seoul, from Shanghai to London, from Dubai to Berlin…

International success, continued expansion

Building on its international success (the start-up began its international expansion in 2019 at the National Museum of the US Air Force, also known as the DDay Museum and located in Riverside, Ohio, with an expanded exhibition aimed at transporting visitors to the heart of the Battle of Normandy in 1944), Histovery continues to build relationships, particularly with American institutions, and aims to continue expanding in this market (the company has therefore opened a subsidiary there).

In this dynamic, the Histovery teams are also currently developing a certain number of contents to celebrate the 250 years of the American Revolution, as part of a major exhibition which will take place in the United States (" American Revolution, the Augmented Exhibition " will immerse visitors between 1767 and 1789 to discover 15 significant events in the historical period leading to American independence. Scheduled for 2026, it will visit 10 cities that same year and will continue to travel until 2031 to reach all 50 states. " Thanks to the'artificial intelligence, we talk about historical paintings, of the King of England Charles III, of Benjamin Franklin, or of John Adams. If there was a strong craze for Notre-Dame, the strategy remains above all to propose purely American subjects " explains Raphaël Marchou. A good portion of this content is produced using Unreal Engine 5, the innovative company that readily uses technologies from video games to adapt them to cultural tourism.

A successful start to the implementation strategy for Raphaël Marchou, made possible, among other things, by Histovery's participation in the South by Southwest festival with the delegation led by Bpifrance and the French TouchThis annual event, held each year in Austin, Texas, celebrates the convergence of the creative and tech industries, and is an absolute must for innovative companies wishing to understand this market, establish strategic commercial ties with local partners and be supported by French contacts on site. South by Southwest is a must-see. It's a central meeting and discussion place in a very dynamic world, with prospects and other companies. During our participation, the support was very good, tailor-made. Rather than going alone, the advantage of the delegation is to create many links between the companies that leave, who remain very close on site. We also participated in the Cultur'Export USA and ICC Immersion Korea programs, which are also very rich, very targeted, and interesting for us. ", says Raphaël Marchou.

The Histovery company has benefited from the support of the Tech&Touch fund

The Tech & Touch fund, deployed by Bpifrance and La French Touch, is a seed capital and venture capital fund for startups in the cultural and creative industries. Financed as part of the France 2030 plan and managed by the General Secretariat for Investment, in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Culture, the Banque des Territoires, and the IFCIC, it invests in companies combining creativity and technological innovation. It makes direct minority investments (Pre-Seed to Series C) in cultural and creative startups and indirect investments (funds of funds). Tech & Touch covers various cultural sectors in France, including transformation and innovation issues such as AI, VR, blockchain, and Industry 4.0.