When art becomes audible and history becomes tangible
What began three years ago as an ambitious European research initiative is now becoming reality: The SHIFT project is transforming how we engage with museums, archives, and cultural heritage. With a strong consortium of academic, creative, and tech-driven partners, SHIFT brings together AI, haptics, and emotional voice modelling to create entirely new ways of experiencing the past.
A look at the transformation of cultural heritage through new technology
At audEERING, we’re proud to contribute our core expertise: the dimensional analysis of human emotion in voice. In SHIFT, we’ve applied this knowledge to model how historical content feels – not just what it says.
While we do not synthesize voices ourselves, we work with emotional parameters to shape how speech is perceived. Together with our partners Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Technical University of Munich (TUM), we help transform historical imagery into emotionally rich auditory experiences. For example:
- QMUL animates static images into dynamic short videos.
- TUM generates descriptive text from those images.
- This text is then converted into immersive soundscapes, to which audEERING’s models add emotional depth and authenticity.
- Users experience the result through XR glasses and haptic gloves, developed by our partner FORTH, enabling not only auditory but also tactile interaction with cultural content.
Whether it’s the emotional retelling of a historical battle or the intimate voice describing a centuries-old painting, SHIFT shows that technology can unlock access to history for all – especially for blind and visually impaired users.
SHIFT reminds us that accessibility isn’t just a feature – it’s a starting point. When design becomes inclusive, creativity flourishes. And when emotion enters technology, storytelling becomes transformative.
The SHIFT project
The SHIFT project runs until the end of September 2025, but the experiences it has created and the insights it offers will resonate far beyond.
At audEERING, we’re excited to keep pushing the boundaries of how machines listen, speak, and feel. Because history deserves to be heard.
Request a product or get a prepaid package
Contact us for future joint projects or try our prepaid packages to start your Voice AI journey now.
