The Gettysburg Augmented Reality Experience Launches

Our client, the American Battlefield Trust has announced the release of an augmented reality app that is available free of charge from the Apple App Store and Google Play. The Gettysburg AR Experience is a full-featured application that displays five scenes that occurred during the Civil War battles in Gettysburg and the famous Gettysburg Address delivered by President Lincoln in November 1863. Interactive Knowledge designed and programmed the app using 3D assets and audio files created by Lumina Datamatics. 

The app was originally planned for use at the Gettysburg National Military Park but restricted travel during the 2020 pandemic forced a change of plans. An update is planned for next year when mapping features will be added, but the current app can be used indoors or outdoors at almost any location. Users can view six realistic scenes, walk around the people, animals and objects in the scene for a closer look and even interact with selected characters who explain important details and context that makes the scene come to life. 

The content of the Gettysburg AR Experience is historically accurate and researched by the American Battlefield Trust’s Chief Historian, Garry Adelman, who saw a unique opportunity when planning this app. “What you need to do as a battlefield guide is to drag the past forward,” he said. “We know that technology provides all sorts of windows to allow enlivening of the senses so you can get a little closer to the past. And the Gettysburg AR Experience is one of the closest things to time travel I have yet encountered.”