When building a virtual tour we always try to make the experience engaging and one way to achieve this is to add an AI assistant that can answer questions and provide more information about the location.
I’ve been exploring how to combine the immersive experience of a Pano2VR virtual tour with the intelligent support of a Pickaxe Chat AI to create an engaging and informative exploration of the Waddamana Heritage Site.
This combination enables virtual visitors to ask an AI about the site's history, hours of operation or even the function of the Pelton wheel turbines and get instant answers.
With Pickaxe, I trained a customized AI assistant using a single link to the Waddamana Heritage Website.
The Assistant in the Virtual Tour
1. When you enter the tour there is an “Chat” button with the mouseover title “Chat with our AI Agent” (figure #1)
Figure #1: Chat button that links to Pickaxe Chat
2. Clicking on the “Chat” button opens the Pickaxe Chat. The chat has some preconfigured prompts that indicate the type of question/answers available. Alternatively the user can add their own prompt. (figure #2)
Figure #2: Opening screen with a sample prompt
3. Using a prompt the question asked was “What are the visiting hours for the Power Station” (figure #3)
Figure #3: Asking the question
4. The Chat AI thinks about the question (figure #4)
Figure #5: Thinking about the question
5. And returns the answer (figure #6)
Figure #6: The answer is returned
Note: In creating the sample “Chat” and implementing it into the Pano2VR skin I’ve created compatible versions for both iPad (Tablet) and mobile phone (iPhone and Android).
Note: These examples show the result of selecting the preconfigured prompts (figures # 7 & 8)
Figure #7: iPhone - preconfigured prompt result
Figure #8: iPad - preconfigured prompt result
Working Example
You can test it out in the working example below. I would recommend using the button to open a new window which will provide more room for the Chat window.
Note: I’ve tried other prompts such as: “Where did the workers who built the station come from?” and “In those early days how did they live?” with excellent and informative results.
Note: at this time of testing there is a useage limit of 10 prompts per users and is tracked by IP Address. The limits reset every 30 days. That means if you (your IP address) visits the website and gets limited, you will be able to start using it again after 30 days later.
What is Pickaxe?
Pickaxe is a platform that allows users to build, share, and manage AI applications without code1. It enables users to create their own AI Studio, which can be branded and customized with their unique knowledge and tools.
With Pickaxe, you can:
Create AI tools using prompts, documents, and more
Train AI on your own expertise
Launch a web-app of your tools, white-labeled with your brand
Monetize your expertise by selling access to your AI apps
Embed AI anywhere it is needed
Pickaxe allows you to train AI on your own expertise using your documents, data, and directions. It also provides templates to help users get started or create their own to share. Pickaxe also allows you to monitor how users interact with your AI. Pickaxe is designed to help creators and entrepreneurs discover how AI can augment their work.
What is Pano2VR?
Pano2VR is a powerful virtual tour software that converts panoramic or 360° photos and videos into interactive experiences1. It allows users to link panoramic photo scenes, or nodes, using transitions1. Finished projects can be integrated with existing websites and viewed on desktops, mobile devices, or VR devices1.
Key features of Pano2VR include:
Image Enhancement: Remove imperfections using the Patch mode or AI
Interactive Elements: Add popups, hotspots, directional sound, and video
Customizable User Interface: Use included skins or design custom buttons and controllers with the Skin Editor
Animation Paths: Create animation paths to highlight scenes
Gigapixel Images: Supports gigapixel images and multi-resolution for detailed zooming
Export Options: Export in HTML5 format or directly to WordPress It supports WebXR for VR experiences and integrates with VRTourviewer for offline VR tours
Google Street View: Edit and publish tours to Google Street View
Additional Features: It also includes features such as droplets, an integrated web server, live updates, and supports various image formats
Pano2VR supports video panoramas and offers multiple projections6. It also provides functionalities like geotagging, a tour browser, tour maps, automatic linking, hotspot marker hints, and transitions.
