The 3D flight simulator “Birdly” is flying again soon. From 3 July 2020, visitors will be able to fly like a bird over the roofs and around the world’s highest church tower. Voucher bookings can be reserved by mail, by phone and at Münsterplatz 25 during opening hours.
In Ulm, virtual reality can be experienced in a unique way. The high-tech flight simulator “Birdly” offers its guests a unique experience. The movements of your arms serve as flapping wings, the simulation takes you to lofty heights, the flight wind blows gently into your face. Birdly is part of the “Ulm Stories” – a city campaign that uses digital technology to bring 600 years of history to life. After the fascinating 3D simulation went into operation for the first time in Ulm in summer 2017, it is now stationed in the new premises at Münsterplatz 25.
So far, Birdly has only been presented at a few locations around the world. During the flight simulation the visitor is lying across the man-sized device, putting on the 3D glasses and stretching his arms to the side. From now on the simulator recognizes the movements of the arms as the flapping of a bird’s wings. And so, by swinging your arms up and down, you float above the roofs and between the canyons of houses that appear on the 3D glasses.
Prototypes of Birdly have so far been seen in a few places such as New York or Bangalore (India). What is new and unique about the Ulm location is the elaborately designed virtual reality environment. House by house and brick by brick were specially programmed for the Ulm area: This resulted in a detailed structure of 2,000 buildings and 6,000 other objects such as trees and animals.
However, this is not today’s Ulm, but the historic Ulm in 1890, a decisive year for the city on the Danube, because at that time the tower of the Ulm Minster was completed – the highest church tower in the world to this day. So a flight with Birdly becomes a journey through time, which feels sensationally real thanks to perfect real-time rendering, three-dimensional spatial sound and flying wind.
For the city of Ulm, Birdly is an element of their digital agenda. How digitalisation is changing life and the urban society can often only be described in abstract terms. Birdly, on the other hand, brings the potential of digital technology to life.
General hygiene regulations apply and regular disinfection of the equipment used is a matter of course. Please note that you must carry a mouth/nose protection with you.
Further information: Ulm Stories – Birdly
