The Universidad de Costa Rica's Sede del Pacífico has developed Puntarenas 4.0, a set of augmented reality experiences that bring animated characters to historic sites around Puntarenas as part of a project to promote tourism in the area. The initiative is led by electrical engineering professor and researcher María Teresa Jiménez, working with informatics students Sergio Espinoza and Alejandro Pacheco.
Visitors scan a QR code that opens a TikTok effect, then point their phone camera at an image placed on site, and a character appears on screen to tell the story of the place. The aim is to give visitors a consistent historical account wherever they are, rather than depending on whichever tour guide they happen to hire.
Sites
The experiences are currently live at seven spaces in Puntarenas:
- The Capitanía
- The Cathedral
- The Casa de la Cultura
- The Public Library
- Three spaces on Isla San Lucas
- The Benemérito Liceo José Martí
The project was built in phases: the second phase covered four city sites on TikTok, and the third added Isla San Lucas and the Liceo José Martí.
How it was built
The team relies on free tools:
- Blender for the 3D models
- ElevenLabs for the characters' voices
- Effect House, TikTok's tool, to publish the experiences
The Cámara de Turismo de Puntarenas (Catup) supported the final phase with sponsorship and a tour of Isla San Lucas, and the project was presented at the chamber.
Constraints
Jiménez said budget limits restrict the ability to sustain a project of this scale, given its 20 hours of student assistance and her own research hours, and would constrain a possible fourth phase.
