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ResourCity leuven: scavenger hunt of chemical elements in surprising places

Leuven, 21 April 2021 - Every city is an 'urban mine' and hides a wealth of chemical elements. One of the few advantages of this Corona pandemic is that walking is very popular again, and that is a good thing. With ResourCity, Flemish Research Centre VITO has developed an interactive app with which young - and old - people can not only go on a chemical treasure hunt while walking, but also allows them to look at their (familiar) surroundings in a different way. Now also in Leuven.

Pokemon Go style game app

With the app, the participants - and there is no age limit on this game - can 'catch' chemical elements in the style of Pokémon Go. Whoever catches a chemical element, immediately receives a fun (historical) fact about the location on the spot. The collected elements can be puzzled together by the player during the hike. In this way, the player can unlock a 'badge' - such as a fart, a microchip or carbon dioxide. In this way, he also learns all about chemical compounds in a fun way.

Elke stad is een schat en zit boor-de-vol chemische elementen! Deze chemische bouwstenen, van koolstof over zuurstof, goud, kobalt tot platina zijn in een stad ruimschoots aanwezig. Sommige chemische elementen vind je gewoonweg in de lucht die je inademt, andere in allerlei producten en zeker in gebouwen. Elke stad is - kortom - een ResourCity: een stad VOL ‘resources’ of materialen, zelfs zo veel dat je in een stad soms meer goud vindt dan in een echte goudmijn.

Met de app ResourCity maken we deze ‘stadsmijn’ of ‘urban mine’ zichtbaar door middel van augmented reality technologie. We werken de inhoud van een ResourCity niet enkel uit op maat van geïnteresseerde steden en gemeenten, maar we sluiten die ook maximaal aan op de eindtermen van de verschillende onderwijskoepels, zodat ResourCity door scholen ook als (coronaproof) leerinstrument ingezet kan worden.

Philip Marynissen
VITO

Scavenger hunt in Leuven

It seems obvious that a city like Leuven has a wealth of iron and aluminium (long live Jeroen Meus' kitchen!). But that, for example, gold is also hidden in the centre of Leuven and that you can also find platinum and tin is perhaps less well known. The players are stimulated to look for elements themselves and, if they find them, to discover what they can do with them. Together with the city of Leuven, ResourCity searched for 40 interesting places. ResourCity does not only lead players to touristy interesting places, but also to beautiful spots and urban projects that are connected to circular economy.

ResourCity can be played individually, but you can also track down and capture the elements in a group, in class or with your family. Because this app effortlessly sends you to very interesting, and often hidden, places and facts about Leuven. 

Download the ResourCity app

You can download the app via the AppStore, via Google Play or by scanning this QR code.
ResourCity QR-code

ResourCity in Antwerpen, Herentals, Mechelen, Mol en Oud-Turnhout

Leuven is the sixth Flemish location where ResourCity can be played, alongside Antwerp, Herentals, Mechelen, Mol and Oud-Turnhout. The ResourCity Leuven launch took place at and& festival.

ResourCity was nominated for the 2019 Science Communication Prize, awarded by the Royal Flemish Academy and the Young Academy.

ResourCity in Leuven