8eleven Team

Discover the world around you through immersive, AI-powered narratives

Transform your everyday surroundings into a living storybook. This location-aware audio experience detects where you are and delivers rich, engaging narratives about nearby points of interest, all
through a conversational AI narrator you can interact with in real-time.

What It Does

As you walk through a neighborhood, city, or landmark, the app identifies your location and surfaces stories about what’s around you. A narrator (with customizable voice and personality) tells you about:

• Historical significance: What happened here 50, 100, or 500 years ago? Who walked these streets before you?
• Architectural details: Why does that building look the way it does? What style is it? Who designed it?
• Local legends and folklore: Every place has stories the guidebooks miss, the haunted corner pub, the alley where a famous scene was filmed, the bench where a poet wrote their masterpiece.
• Cultural context: How do locals actually live here? What traditions persist? What’s changed?
• Hidden gems: The coffee shop that roasts its own beans, the courtyard most tourists walk right past, the viewpoint only residents know about.

Interactive Conversations

Unlike passive audio tours, you can interrupt and ask questions at any moment:

• “Wait, you mentioned a fire in 1892. What caused it?”
• “Are there any good restaurants nearby that locals actually go to?”
• “Tell me more about the architect you mentioned.”
• “What’s the best time to visit this market?”
• “Any photography tips for this spot?”

The narrator adapts to your curiosity, going deeper on topics you care about and moving on when you’re ready.

Insider Knowledge

The experience goes beyond Wikipedia facts. It incorporates:

• Local recommendations: Restaurants, cafes, shops, and experiences vetted by residents
• Timing advice: When to visit to avoid crowds, catch the best light, or see something special
• Etiquette tips: Cultural norms, tipping customs, dress codes for religious sites
• Practical details: Where to find public restrooms, good wifi, or a quiet spot to sit
• Seasonal context: What’s happening right now, festivals, markets, blooming gardens, local events

Personalization

Tailor the experience to how you explore:

• Pace: Quick highlights for a 20-minute walk or deep dives for a full afternoon
• Interests: Art history, food culture, architecture, local politics, nature, nightlife
• Narrator style: Academic and detailed, casual and chatty, dramatic and theatrical, or kid-friendly
• Language: Native-language narration with cultural nuance, not just translation
• Accessibility: Audio descriptions optimized for visually impaired users, wheelchair-accessible route suggestions

Use Cases

• Solo travelers wanting richer context without joining group tours
• Locals rediscovering their own city through fresh eyes
• History buffs who want to understand how places evolved
• Families looking for engaging ways to explore with kids
• Photographers seeking the stories behind the shots
• Business travelers with a few hours to kill in an unfamiliar city
• Language learners practicing listening comprehension in real-world contexts

Technical Approach

The app combines:

• GPS and location services for position awareness
• A curated database of points of interest with layered information
• Large language model for conversational interaction and dynamic storytelling
• Text-to-speech with natural, expressive voices
• User preference learning to improve recommendations over time
• Offline caching for areas with poor connectivity

What Makes It Different
Standard audio guides are linear recordings. You press play, listen, move to the next stop. This experience treats exploration as a conversation. The narrator responds to where you are, what you’re looking at, what you’ve already heard, and what you want to know more about.

It’s the difference between reading a plaque and having a knowledgeable friend show you around, someone who knows the official history and the local gossip, who can answer your random questions, and who
adjusts based on whether you want to linger or keep moving.