The Eden Project has today been awarded £1.7million of Government funding as part of a trial to explore the potential of 5G to improve people’s lives and help build back better from the pandemic.
The Eden Universe project will explore how 5G and 360-degree video can enhance the visitor experience and allow anyone to enjoy the exhibits and talks.
Those who are unable to go to the Eden site in person will be able to experience the exhibits and talks from their home, care home, school or anywhere in the world via a desktop, mobile or virtual reality device and be taken on a real-time virtual reality tour.
The local 5G infrastructure will also be used to provide real-time data on core services such as energy and water management.
The data will be fed into Eden’s site management systems to ensure its rich collection of plant life remains in good condition.
The Eden Project is one of three South West projects to receive funding as part of 5G Create, a £28.3million joint investment between government and businesses to test how the country can seize the full benefits of 5G and help British industries capitalise on the power of modern technology.
Commenting, local Member of Parliament Steve Double said:
“This is excellent news and I am pleased to see the Government continue to invest in our tourism sector with this funding for another innovative project that will be based at the Eden Project.”
“Along with sustainable energy plans coming forward with the geothermal plant at Eden Project, this attraction continues to be an international hub of innovation, and will be a major attraction for people looking to visit Cornwall as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic and return to normality.”
Commenting, Dan James, the Eden Project’s development director, said:
“The Eden Project is delighted to have secured support from 5G Create.”
“Eden is a visually-rich and wonderful place to be, so having this new technology on our Cornwall site and the opportunity to create new digital content with our project partners aql, Meta and Marshmallow Laser Feast is very exciting.”
“We are looking forward to testing just how 5G can help support our educational, arts and community programmes and provide new and exciting reasons for people to keep visiting us in person or virtually.”
“The data collected through the 5G network will also help us manage the site and improve the visitor experience and our environmental performance.”
Commenting, Matt Warman, Minister for Digital Infrastructure, said:
“5G is about so much more than faster mobile internet speeds, so we’re investing millions to help some of Britain’s brightest innovators explore the huge potential of the technology to improve and enrich our lives.
“The projects we’ve selected will demonstrate how the blistering speeds of 5G can put some rocket fuel in our economy and help businesses bounce back from the pandemic.”