Digital Heroes – the latest educational project by the New Technology Division of the IPN

Talk to witnesses of history. Ask the heroes about their achievements. Uncover the secrets of history using new technologies. Discover entirely new possibilities in historical education with tools created by the New Technology Division of the IPN. Visit the Central History Point in Warsaw and meet the Digital Heroes. The project will premiere on April 14.

What does the Digital Heroes project offer?

The Digital Heroes educational project is the latest response from the New Technology Division of the IPN to young people’s expectations regarding the way knowledge is conveyed. By combining new technologies, including artificial intelligence, with the educational value derived from the resources of the Institute of National Remembrance, a new method of exploring history has been created. This approach excites young people about historical education, helps them absorb knowledge more effectively, and fosters positive associations with history, education, and school activities.

Project Premiere on April 14

The ceremonial premiere of the latest educational project by the New Technology Division of the IPN will take place at the Central History Point, located at 107 Marszałkowska Street in Warsaw, at 9:30 AM.

The project will be accessible to all visitors in the New Technology Zone of the Central History Point. Entry is free. We warmly invite you to discover the possibilities of using new technologies in historical education.

What are Digital Heroes?

This innovative initiative consists of three parts. The heart of the project – the avatars – beats at the Central History Point at 107 Marszałkowska Street in Warsaw. Here, you can interact with the Digital Heroes. Additionally, by scanning a QR code, these characters will appear on your smartphone in augmented reality (AR), and you can also watch them in short films published on the social media profiles of the Institute of National Remembrance, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

The Digital Heroes – Jan Zumbach, Jan Kowalewski, and Wojtek the Bear – whom you can meet in the New Technology Zone of the Central History Point, are avatars generated using the Unreal Engine 5 and displayed on a high-performance PC connected to a TV screen. Each avatar is a realistic 3D model capable of movement, gestures, and verbally answering questions. The speech for the characters is powered by a proprietary dialogue engine supported by machine learning through 11labs.

Each avatar is based on an AI module loaded with historical resources obtained from the archives of the Institute of National Remembrance. This ensures that the answers provided are always accurate and truthful. The project educates by merging digital technology with historical education.

How to Interact with the Avatars at the Central History Point?

To see and talk with the hero avatars, simply:

Register your visit to the New Technology Zone at the Central History Point – whether it’s a school group visit, family outing, meeting with friends, or an individual trip.
Arrive on time for your immersive history lesson.
Approach the Digital Heroes station and start the conversation.

That’s all it takes to engage in immersive historical education and meet the Digital Heroes.

How to use the avatars?

The station is easy to use, and the staff present in the New Technology Zone will assist you at any time. Just approach the station, pick up the microphone and tablet, and hold down the spacebar on the tablet to ask your question into the microphone. Release the button after asking your question. In just a moment, the chosen character will respond.

If you prefer to ask a question in text form, feel free! Click the enter button on the tablet keyboard, type your question, and press enter again.

Regardless of how the question is asked, the avatar will respond aloud, and a transcription of the answer will appear on the screen. You can listen to and read the response simultaneously.

If you don’t know what to ask, don’t worry. Suggestions for questions to ask the character will appear on the screen. This way, the conversation can continue as long as you like. You can start and end it at any time.

Follow the Social Media Channels of the Institute of National Remembrance to Better Understand the Heroes’ Achievements

Digital Heroes are not just avatars in the Central History Point! They also appear in videos full of historical insights shared on the IPN’s social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

We encourage you to follow the latest publications and watch the videos featuring the heroes to gain a deeper understanding of Poland’s recent history.

Premiere of Digital Heroes on April 14

The ceremonial presentation of the latest educational project by the New Technology Division of the IPN will take place at the Central History Point, located at 107 Marszałkowska Street in Warsaw, on April 14 at 9:30 AM. Digital Heroes will be permanently available to all visitors of the New Technology Zone.

We invite you to explore the exciting opportunities that new technologies bring to history education.