Tevkros, the world's first interactive museum guide with artificial intelligence, was presented on Monday by the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation in Nicosia.
A press release from the Cultural Foundation of the Bank of Cyprus states that Tevkros is the first interactive museum guide with artificial intelligence internationally - "a ground-breaking innovation that connects cultural heritage with technological development, offering the public a unique, personalized and interactive guided tour experience".
In the first stage, Tevkros will guide the public to the Museum of Cyprus Coinage, while afterwards he will join the rest of the museums and the periodic exhibitions of the Foundation. It will be available to the public at the Cyprus Numismatic Museum on comparable dates and times which will be announced shortly.
The implementation of Tevkros was undertaken by Elpidophoros Anastasiou, PhD candidate at the Cyprus University of Technology and the project was implemented within the framework of the STEAM Space and AI research at the "Eratosthenes" Center of Excellence.
"With the innovative and ground-breaking Tevkros, Cyprus proves that our cultural heritage can be presented through modern media that inspires, educates and fascinates," the press release states.
The Foundation, it is added, "thus strengthens its role as a bridge between tradition and the future, putting culture at the center of technological progress".
"Tevkros is not just a technological achievement, it is living proof that history and innovation can co-exist. With the help of artificial intelligence, it offers visitors a personalized experience of knowledge and communication, enabling young and old to experience the culture of Cyprus in a completely new, exciting way", says the Foundation.
"With the presentation of Tevkros, the Cultural Foundation of the Bank of Cyprus is once again making a bold leap towards the future of cultural heritage, combining artificial intelligence with the richness of our historical and archaeological tradition", it is noted.
As noted, Tevkros was born from a simple sketch, an idea of the Director of the Foundation, Dr. Yiannis Toumazis.
With the help of artificial intelligence, the sketch was transformed into a 2D image, evolved into a 3D model, and finally became flesh.
The robot is approximately 75cm tall, weighs less than 7kg and was made entirely by advanced 3D printing from durable polymer materials.
The body of Tevkros is covered with red-brown color and decorated with geometric patterns inspired by the material culture of Cypriot antiquity.
As reported, the result is impressive, as Tevkros looks more like an ancient artifact than a machine, bridging the craftsmanship of ancient Cypriot craftsmen with modern robotic innovation.
Its head features a screen that projects human expressions – smile, curiosity or question – allowing a natural and direct interaction with the visitor and offering a personal learning and communication experience.
Tevkros is powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, is constantly updated with new content, answers questions and adapts information according to the profile and interest of each visitor. In this way, it turns the visit to the museum into a living dialogue with the cultural heritage.
He notes that Tevkros is not only a tour guide, but a storyteller and conversationalist, a living bridge that connects the past with the digital age.
In her greeting at the press conference for the presentation of Tevkros, the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Athina Michailidou, said, among other things, that "considering that Tevkros is an international original, this project is of the utmost importance".
"Beyond the new dimension regarding the promotion of our history and culture, our Cyprus, our small homeland, is emerging as a model and good practice for other countries, in terms of exploiting the potential of technology in the field", he noted and congratulated the President Dr. Yiannis Toumazis and the scientific staff of the Foundation for this", he underlined.
He also referred to the promotion of digital competence as an integral part of the learning process, empowering learners to meet the challenges of digital transformation.
“In this context, emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence are emerging as a catalyst for upgrading the educational experience. Undoubtedly, a museum is a place of learning and creative synergy. Recognizing the potential that these spaces have, through the opening of the school to society and informal forms of education, as well as through the Museum Education educational programs and the history lesson, visits by teachers and students to museums are made", he added.
He noted, at the same time, that, taking into account the special educational value of Tevkros, it will be used equally as an important tool for knowledge of our historical past.
It is recalled that Tevkros is the mythical founder of Salamis in Cyprus, son of Telamon, king of Salamis in Attica. According to legend, after the end of the Trojan War, he arrived in Cyprus, where he founded the city of Salamis, near today's Famagusta.
His name symbolizes the creation of a new world, just like the modern Tevkros, which establishes a new era in the museum experience.
