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The innovative project is a first step in what could become an “internet on wheels”, with cars effectively becoming mobile social media sites, accessed by phone via their licence plates.

The Travelling Treasures project will use taxi number plates to send information about museums and monuments in Edinburgh to passing tourists.

It will initially cover eight city council-run venues, including the Scott Monument, Museum of Edinburgh, Museum of Childhood and City Art Centre.

As a taxi passes one of the museums, information and pictures from the venue will be electronically “tagged” to the registration number on the cab’s number plate.

This could include artefacts on display, such Greyfriars Bobby’s collar at the Museum of Edinburgh, or a Dalek at the Museum of Childhood. Extracts from poems and other literature could also be sent.

Visitors would access the data by downloading the Travelling Treasures app to their smartphone.”

Story by Alastair Dalton and graphic by Colin Heggie