The Shackleton Experience: bringing the spirit of exploration to life with AR and a multilingual web app
Overview
Opening in October 2025, The Shackleton Experience museum is the world’s only visitor attraction dedicated entirely to Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Working in partnership with Kildare County Council, Smartify was selected to create a fully integrated digital visitor guide.
It combines a bring your own device (BYOD) web app, hardware devices, multilingual audio tours, and four immersive augmented reality experiences that reimagine Shackleton’s story for a new generation of adventurers.
Our goal was to make Shackleton’s epic journeys feel as real and awe-inspiring as they were in 1916, through technology that deepens, rather than distracts from, the experience.
– Anna Lowe, Smartify Director of Partnerships
The brief
The museum’s ambitious redesign required more than a simple audio guide. The team wanted to:
- Deliver a multilingual, multimedia tour including versions for families and in sign language
- Use augmented reality to bring untouchable artefacts and inaccessible spaces to life
- Provide a future-proof CMS so staff could add content easily over time
- Supply devices for those unable to use their own phone
Our solution
Web-based audio guide
Smartify designed a custom branded guide that visitors can access directly from their own devices. Because it’s browser based, with no download required, guests can get started straight away. The audio experience included:
- Six languages (English, Irish, French, German, Italian, Spanish)
- Professional actors reading the parts of Emily and Ernest Shackleton
- A child-friendly English tour with image-led storytelling
- On-screen transcripts for accessibility
- Offline functionality for use in Wi-Fi ‘dead zones’
- A custom CMS for easy updates by museum staff
Four immersive AR experiences
Smartify developed four interactive experiences, each triggered by markers placed throughout the museum.
1. The James Caird lifeboat
A digital “cutaway” reveals the cramped interior of Shackleton’s famous lifeboat, complete with artefacts and the soundscape of the Southern Ocean.
2. The ice floes
AR transforms a projection tunnel into a living Antarctic landscape, with virtual icebergs and a penguin appearing around the visitor. In this game visitors can throw fish to feed the penguin, bringing it closer and closer.
3. Shackleton’s cabin (the Quest)
Visitors can step virtually inside Shackleton’s final cabin, recreated as a lifelike 3D environment. Interactive hotspots reveal personal stories and objects.
4. The Quest’s bridge
From the mezzanine, visitors view the Quest ship’s bridge through their device. Virtual instruments, the ship’s wheel, and atmospheric effects recreate the moment Shackleton commanded the vessel. In this game, visitors listen to commands to steer the ship safely through ice floes.
Smartify designed an experience that perfectly complements every visit. What they've built is much more than an audio guide; it's an immersive way to explore the museum and connect with the exhibits on a deeper level. Their approach to digital interpretation is really innovative. They've been able to bring to life Shackleton's resilience and sense of adventure, in a way we hope will inspire the explorers of the future.
– Aline FitzGerald, Director, The Shackleton Experience
Hardware and integration
As well as the digital visitor guide, Smartify supplied and configured 60 hardware devices for guests to borrow. These provide an identical experience to BYOD, and are equipped with:
- Great battery life
- Compact charging infrastructure
- Smartify’s cloud-based content system, allowing museum teams to easily maintain and expand the experience
The impact
The Shackleton Experience sets a new standard for digital interpretation in Irish heritage attractions. By merging storytelling, artefacts, and AR technology, Smartify has helped transform the museum into an immersive voyage of discovery that connects visitors to Shackleton’s courage and leadership.