AR technology is all set to play a crucial role in helping residents and citizens to stay safe amid pandemic while they are out and about in public areas.

Ahmad Daneshvar, co-founder of Epic Reality, an AR-powered travel application, highlighted the way technology has assisted residents in feeling safe during pandemic. Epic Reality’s smartphone app is designed to assist tourists and residents in navigating Dubai safely and efficiently in relation to time factor. App can be downloaded on Apple iOS and Android devices. 

Epic Reality is rooted in UAE and acts more like a city guide providing real-time updates on the city's safe and risk zones, and Covid-19 related critical information on health precautions, social distancing, facial wear dress code policies, seating capacity, temperature checks, and the relative exposure risk based on indoor vs. outdoor activities.

The app also includes a feature of Covid-19 Risk Score, that is compiled from the latest international data sources like the World Health Organization (WHO). Users can browse a listing of engaging activities, events, travel tours, sightseeing spots, restaurants, and cafés, learn about a venue or activity's health measures to ensure safety while Dubai stay.

“We realised the great role that technology plays in helping us navigate the challenges of pandemics and health crises,” Daneshvar said. “And today, smartphones have become the go-to device to provide health and safety information in real-time. We took our time building a scrapping tool that harnesses the power of machine learning and algorithms to collect data from trusted sources. This resulted in carefully-vetted listings of leisure activities, attractions, tourist spots, all labeled with handy health and safety parameters, including social distancing protocol, venue capacity, and temperature checks.” 

A Covid-19 risk rating, from high to low range, can be determined by using a machine learning algorithm. It is based on the mentioned parameters thus allowing users to make an informed decision regarding a venue or an event. Users can choose from currently included and categorized 3,000 activities in the app. 

Co-founder, Daniel Ashtari, added: “We plan to roll out to other emirates coinciding with Covid-19 restrictions relaxing and proactive efforts for tourism revitalization being. Right now we’re focused on providing users and the local tourism ecosystem with this high-value tool but aim to eventually monetize by generating leads for tour operators and tourism activities. We see a strong number of daily users, returning to the app multiple times on various occasions, which indicates users are responding very favourably to the value proposition of the app. With many spending their holidays locally, Epic Reality is being leveraged for locals to plan their staycation activities.” 

Epic Reality’s app also includes features like pre-booking feature through which users can browse a wide range of activities, places of interest, events, and sightseeing spots and also save them for later booking. The app uses AR technology to allow rotate 360 degrees and receive personalized content based on location. By hovering over a location with smartphone camera, a user can browse information on destination and points of interest, like latitude, distance, and altitude of any locale. 

App rollout is set for across the UAE following its Dubai launch. Epic Reality plans to cover major cities throughout the Mena region, the US, and Europe, thus helping travelers plan trips in a safe and timely manner. 

“In the near future we see the application providing additional layers of valuable data for end users including ratings/rankings on various activities, more in-depth and specialized matching based on preference, in addition to being populated with a greater number of activities to choose from,” said Daneshvar. 

“We will also focus on a seamless booking experience within the application so that both end users and tour operators/venues can connect with no barriers enhancing the overall value of the app. We certainly see this as a must have for those visiting for Expo 2020 Dubai - whether it’s the family of a business traveller exploring the city safely, or those here on business looking for activities in their downtime,” he added.