Wrinkles, an AI-powered app, uses location data to provide users with stories about the places around them. The app acts as an audio tour guide, revealing hidden history and local lore as users explore their surroundings. Available on both iOS and Android, Wrinkles allows users to learn about buildings, streets, and other local knowledge without needing to look at their phones.
The app's founders, David Stemler and Ryan Hansan, have a long history of traveling together, which inspired the idea for Wrinkles. Stemler came up with the concept while visiting the British Museum in London and using its official app for a self-guided tour. He found the experience frustrating, as it required matching numbers on walls to lists on his phone, preventing him from fully engaging with his surroundings. He asked Hansan, "If the phone in my pocket knows exactly where I am, shouldn’t the places in front of me be able to speak?"
Wrinkles has built a global foundation of 1.3 million points of interest across 177 countries. Users can discover stories about places as they move through the world or explore them remotely by searching and browsing the map. The app also allows users to ask questions, such as, "Where does this water actually come from?" while learning about historical sites like the Trevi Fountain. Additionally, users can follow friends, family, creators, and organizations, and personalize their experiences by attaching family memories, photos, videos, and recordings to specific locations.
Source: techcrunch
