# Robotic Museum Guides The De Young Museum is Making Their Tours Accessible to All By Rebecca Byers | Published 2015-03-02 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/de-young-museum References: [news.artnet](http://news.artnet.com/in-brief/robots-give-virtual-tours-of-the-de-young-museum-272329) & [cbsnews](http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/robots-open-up-the-world-of-art/) The De Young Museum in San Francisco has developed a unique program that will enable robot guided tours of the museum for individuals who are unable to physically visit. The De Young Museum's new robot guided tours will make their collections accessible to those who are paralyzed, bedridden or otherwise unable to visit, even allowing them to interact with other museum-goers. This innovative inclusive program goes a long way to extend the [art museum experience](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/visitor-app) to those who cannot access it, and could eventually expand to include offering tours to those too far away or unable to afford a visit. While other museums have developed innovative programs to expand accessibility, such as special tours for the hearing or vision impaired, the De Young Museum's robotic tour guides are an important step forward in terms of how organizations think about inclusiveness. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.3/10 - Popularity: 68% | Activity: 82% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [AI](https://www.trendhunter.com/ai) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Robotic Accessibility Tours:** The development of robotic guided tours in museums is a disruptive innovation opportunity that can make art and cultural experiences accessible to individuals who are unable to physically visit. - **Remote Museum Tours:** The expansion of remote museum tours through robot guides presents a disruptive innovation opportunity to offer museum experiences to people who are too far away or unable to afford a visit. - **Inclusive Museum Experiences:** The adoption of robotic guided tours in museums represents a disruptive innovation opportunity to enhance inclusiveness and extend the art museum experience to those who cannot access it. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Art Museums:** The implementation of robotic guided tours in art museums creates a disruptive innovation opportunity to enhance accessibility and engagement for visitors. - **Robotics:** The integration of robot guides in remote museum tours opens up a disruptive innovation opportunity for the robotics industry to provide solutions for remote engagement and accessibility in various sectors. - **Accessibility Services:** The utilization of robotic guided tours for inclusive museum experiences presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for the accessibility services industry to create new solutions for providing equal access to cultural institutions. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Inclusive Museum Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inclusive-museum-design.md) - [Sensory Museum Tours](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sensory-museum-tour.md) - [Spaceship-Like Robot Museums](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seoul-robot-ai.md) - [Virtual Museum Queueing Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virtual-queueing-system.md) - [Digital Museum Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/louvre.md) - [Robotic Visual Impairment Guides](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/handheld-guidance-device.md) - [Arm Rehabilitation Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arm-rehabilitation-robot.md) - [Accessible Theatre Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/teatro-massimo.md) - [Accessible Mobility Rehabilitations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mobility-rehabilitation.md)