Smart Monument Patent Marks a New Chapter for Sefidanis in Digital Heritage and AI

Sefidanis Research & Development has reached a new milestone: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anis Sefidanis has been officially granted a patent for his original invention, the “Smart Monument,” a hybrid physical–digital platform that fuses artificial intelligence, virtual reality and sustainable design into a new medium for cultural memory. Macedonian broadcaster TVM and the renowned science and technology magazine Emiter report that the patent, issued by the State Office of Industrial Property, is valid until 2044 and protects a novel monument architecture that enables direct interaction with AI-driven content without the need for smartphones, headsets or other personal devices. LinkedIn+3Портал ТВМ+3Емитер+3

In its May 31, 2025 story, TVM highlights that Emiter has dedicated a special feature to the patent award, emphasising that Dr. Sefidanis is a professor at the Faculty of Machine Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Information Science and Technology “St. Paul the Apostle” in Ohrid and that his Smart Monument unites virtual reality and artificial intelligence in an innovative, environmentally conscious way. According to the Emiter article, the “eco-friendly” character of the monument lies precisely in its independence from external hardware: visitors simply approach the installation and interact with it directly, including those who are offline or do not own smart devices. Портал ТВМ+2Емитер+2

Emiter’s original report, published on May 27, 2025, describes the Smart Monument as a new communication medium between people and AI. Hybrid monuments based on this design allow passers-by to engage with digital artefacts supported by artificial intelligence in a natural, immediate way. The interaction is powered by a patented user interface that handles speech recognition, synthesis and sensing of the surrounding environment inside the monument’s virtual scene. The concept is presented as part of a broader portfolio of technologies developed by the Society for Research and Development “Sefidanis” in Ohrid in a field that the team refers to as “Digital Humanity,” where computer science and the arts are woven together to address the challenges of exponential technologies. Емитер+2startupohrid.com+2

The patent is not an isolated achievement, but the culmination of a sequence of pioneering projects in culture-tech. The story began publicly on 9 August 2022, when the City of Ohrid and Prof. Sefidanis unveiled the first digital Smart Monument with the virtual avatar of the poet Grigor Prlichev at Dolna Porta, the town’s “Square of Arts.” Emiter’s 2022 feature on the event explains that this holographic monument brought “the Second Homer” back to his native city by combining AI, holography and virtual reality into a single installation. A multidisciplinary team of engineers, artists and students worked under Prof. Sefidanis’ lead to build a three-dimensional virtual character using original photographs and authentic sculptures of Prlichev, processed with advanced machine intelligence methods for reconstructing virtual characters. The entire technology stack was developed on an NVIDIA DGX supercomputer hosted exclusively in the laboratories of the private Sefidanis Institute for Exponential Technologies in Ohrid. Емитер+2Ohrid.gov.mk – Ohrid.gov.mk+2

The Municipality of Ohrid’s own communication about the project underlines its cultural significance. In its August 10, 2022 announcement, the city describes the virtual Prlichev as a digital resurrection of the poet that allows citizens and visitors to experience culture and technology, past and future, in direct interaction with the “digital consciousness” of the Second Homer. The statement notes that the system, built by Sefidanis following a strategic cooperation memorandum with the municipality, incorporates Macedonian speech recognition (including the local Ohrid dialect) and a highly realistic avatar synchronised with spoken text embodying the poet’s verses and emotions. Positioned outdoors and available day and night throughout the year, the monument is presented as a flagship example of digital cultural heritage in a UNESCO city, designed to preserve and promote local identity in both the physical world and the emerging metaverse. Ohrid.gov.mk – Ohrid.gov.mk+2Емитер+2

The second major step in this trajectory came with the “Monument of the Future,” inaugurated on May 24, 2024 in the atrium of UIST “St. Paul the Apostle.” As documented by Startup Ohrid, which republishes the original UIST news article, this three-metre smart totem is a black glass prism symbolising the space–time continuum. Inside it appears a cosmonaut at human scale, envisioned as a traveller from the future who, guided by artificial intelligence, can issue warnings and reflections about the challenges of tomorrow. The same patented user interface enables visitors to communicate with this hybrid entity through speech, while an array of sensors feeds environmental data into the virtual scene. On the occasion of the national holiday of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the cosmonaut ceremonially “delivered” the Glagolitic script on a holographic parchment, embodying the idea that modern information technologies can help preserve and transmit cultural and spiritual heritage to future generations. The project was supported by North Macedonia’s Fund for Innovation and Technological Development (FITR) under the “Start-up 5” call and implemented by the team at Sefidanis Research & Development in Ohrid. startupohrid.com+1

In its 2025 patent article, Emiter explicitly links these two monuments and the humanoid robots Alshar and Alshar 2.0 as a coherent line of work announcing a new direction in digital culture and art. The magazine emphasises that the Smart Monument patent is “yet another” innovation in a series of technologies developed by Sefidanis, and argues that such achievements elevate the level of scientific and research activity in Macedonia, improving the country’s position on the global map of technological innovation leaders. This framing is echoed in a LinkedIn announcement shared by UIST and Prof. Sefidanis, which notes that the patent is valid until 2044 and positions the Smart Monument as an example of how digital heritage can be experienced without phones or AR glasses, even offline, through sustainable design that minimises additional hardware. Емитер+2LinkedIn+2

UIST and its partners go further, highlighting the strategic significance of the patent for the university, the city and the country. In a LinkedIn post circulated by UIST staff and the Ohrid Tech City community, the Smart Monument patent is described as the first AR/VR technology patent of this kind for UIST, Ohrid and North Macedonia. The post stresses that the invention integrates AI, VR and sustainable design to enable hands-free, device-free interaction with digital cultural artefacts, and situates it squarely within the emerging field of Digital Humanity – a domain where technology, culture and art are inseparable. The same communication lists the virtual avatar of Grigor Prlichev, the Monument of the Future and humanoid robots Alshar and Alshar 2.0 as “notable projects” in this portfolio, applauding Dr. Sefidanis for advancing national innovation and strengthening UIST’s global presence in interdisciplinary research and digital culture. LinkedIn+2LinkedIn+2

For Sefidanis Research & Development, the patent is therefore more than a legal document; it is a formal recognition of an entire design philosophy. Smart Monuments are conceived as living interfaces between people and digital heritage, where AI-driven characters, narratives and data inhabit physical structures that are accessible to everyone in public space. By removing the need for personal devices, the concept embodies a commitment to inclusivity and environmental responsibility, while the underlying technologies – from speech recognition and holography to sensor fusion and supercomputing – position Ohrid as a laboratory for the future of culture in the age of artificial intelligence. The patent secures this innovation until 2044, creating space for new generations of Smart Monuments that can be deployed across cities, institutions and heritage sites worldwide under the Sefidanis brand. LinkedIn+3Емитер+3startupohrid.com+3

As the Smart Monument patent joins a growing list of achievements around humanoid robotics, telemedicine and AI-driven cultural installations, it reinforces the core mission of Sefidanis: to build deep-tech solutions that not only push the frontier of what is technically possible, but also honour the narratives, languages and symbols that define human identity. From the resurrected digital Prlichev on the shores of Lake Ohrid to the time-travelling cosmonaut who returns Glagolitic letters from the future, Sefidanis has turned monuments into interactive dialogues between past, present and tomorrow. With the Smart Monument now protected as a patented invention, those dialogues are set to expand far beyond their birthplace in Ohrid, carrying Macedonian innovation and Digital Humanity to the global stage.

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References / Sources and original publication dates

TVM Television Ohrid – “Емитер: Проф. д-р Анис Сефиданис со патент за својот пронајдок – ‘Паметен споменик’,” news report summarising Emiter’s coverage and confirming the patent issued by the State Office of Industrial Property, 31 May 2025. Портал ТВМ

Emiter – “Д-р Анис Сефиданис со патент за својот пронајдок Паметен споменик,” Informatics section, announcing the Smart Monument patent, describing its hybrid AI–VR design and linking it to previous monuments and humanoid robots Alshar and Alshar 2.0, 27 May 2025. Емитер

LinkedIn (Anis Sefidanis, PhD) – “Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anis Sefidanis Awarded Patent for His Innovative Invention – ‘Smart Monument’,” official announcement detailing the patent’s validity until 2044, its Digital Humanity context and key projects in the Sefidanis portfolio, approximately June 2025. LinkedIn

LinkedIn (Riste Mise / UIST) – “UIST, Ohrid and Macedonia get first patent on AR/VR technology for ‘Smart Monument’,” post emphasising the significance of the patent for UIST, the city of Ohrid and North Macedonia and summarising the invention’s features and related projects, approximately June 2025. LinkedIn

Emiter – “Во Охрид претставен првиот холограмски паметен споменик во Македонија,” feature on the 9 August 2022 unveiling of the virtual avatar of Grigor Prlichev in Ohrid, including technical details on the AI, holography, VR pipeline and the use of the NVIDIA DGX supercomputer at the Sefidanis Institute for Exponential Technologies, 10 August 2022. Емитер

Municipality of Ohrid – “ПРОМОВИРАН ВИРТУЕЛНИОТ ПАМЕТЕН СПОМЕНИК НА ГРИГОР ПРЛИЧЕВ,” official announcement describing the digital monument, its role in preserving local dialect and cultural heritage and its availability at Dolna Porta, 10 August 2022. Ohrid.gov.mk – Ohrid.gov.mk

Startup Ohrid (originally UIST) – “Monument of the Future,” news article on the May 24, 2024 launch of the Monument of the Future at UIST, describing the three-metre smart totem, the time-travelling cosmonaut narrative, the patented user interface and support from the Fund for Innovation and Technological Development, 28 May 2024. startupohrid.com