Overview of exhibit function: Posted instructions read: “Can you solve the power puzzles to light the city?” It’s essentially a game of hide ‘n seek or cat ‘n mouse using nothing more than illuminated buttons and fast-chasing, color-coded LED’s.
Children are presented with a dark city, dark control panels, and 24 dark (transparent and unlit) buttons. (option here for random flashes in dormant state) There are 6 hidden un-illuminated ‘circuits’ awaiting discovery. Circuits contain from 3-8 buttons for a range of difficulty. Each circuit and its buttons have their own associated color.
When any of the 24 buttons is pushed, a single fast-chasing light traces the length of that circuit (via addressable RGB LED ribbons). The touched button illuminates for 3 seconds only while the other buttons contained in that circuit flicker for 3 seconds. The hope here is that kids will be cued to notice, seek out, and press the other buttons in that circuit. The challenge will be to do so before any one button times out of its 3-second, fully-illuminated interval. Once that condition is met, all buttons contained in that circuit, as well as the LED strip, flash in sync with each other at an interval designed to suggest a ‘win’(ON for 0.3 secs / OFF for 0.3 secs). This is also the trigger for the ‘payoff’ which is comprised of banks of LED’s placed on the back of the control panel, but directed at the city. The payoff should be programmed to throw the most extravagant, kinetic (circuit color-similar) light show onto the city for 5 seconds before resetting to the default state.
In short: Hey kids! Find and press all the buttons of the same color within 3 seconds and get a big light show in that color for 5 seconds!
Note: The system will have to endure multiple random button pushing, pounding and holding without locking up or giving mixed signals. For this reason I suspect that each of the 6 circuits will be wired independent of each other. Additionally, when we’re crowded the modality changes completely and it’d be nice if the system produced an occasional ‘pay-off’ light show when multiple buttons are continuously pushed in no logical sequence…..(school tour swarm mode)…. say, after 20 seconds of random crowd pounding.
I've been a practicing Industrial Designer for 30+ years and, in addition to perpetual tinkering and toying, I've worked on biomedical components, private aircraft interiors, monumental sculpture, furniture, lighting, expos, landscape architecture, high steel, museum exhibits, playground equipment, and packaging design.
After six very fulfilling years as the Director of Exhibits at Children's Museum Tucson I've left to pursue similar endeavors in the 'adventure playground' space. I've connected with an international community of play advocates who are dedicated to supporting children by providing more robust play opportunities.
2019 Update:
I'm currently working again in the museum sector serving as an interactives/artifacts specialist.
Projects posted here include those recent, corporate, freelance, incomplete, back-yard, and those wholly ill-conceived. Posts, when not shorthand and jargo-cryptic, are long on images and short on descriptions. Inquiries are encouraged... especially those celebrating improbable uses of unlikely materials, my modus operandi.
2023 Update: I've been posting to Insta rather than here for the past few years. Find me there @milzeaze.
Overview of exhibit function:
ReplyDeletePosted instructions read: “Can you solve the power puzzles to light the city?”
It’s essentially a game of hide ‘n seek or cat ‘n mouse using nothing more than illuminated buttons and fast-chasing, color-coded LED’s.
Children are presented with a dark city, dark control panels, and 24 dark (transparent and unlit) buttons. (option here for random flashes in dormant state) There are 6 hidden un-illuminated ‘circuits’ awaiting discovery. Circuits contain from 3-8 buttons for a range of difficulty. Each circuit and its buttons have their own associated color.
When any of the 24 buttons is pushed, a single fast-chasing light traces the length of that circuit (via addressable RGB LED ribbons). The touched button illuminates for 3 seconds only while the other buttons contained in that circuit flicker for 3 seconds. The hope here is that kids will be cued to notice, seek out, and press the other buttons in that circuit. The challenge will be to do so before any one button times out of its 3-second, fully-illuminated interval. Once that condition is met, all buttons contained in that circuit, as well as the LED strip, flash in sync with each other at an interval designed to suggest a ‘win’(ON for 0.3 secs / OFF for 0.3 secs). This is also the trigger for the ‘payoff’ which is comprised of banks of LED’s placed on the back of the control panel, but directed at the city. The payoff should be programmed to throw the most extravagant, kinetic (circuit color-similar) light show onto the city for 5 seconds before resetting to the default state.
In short: Hey kids! Find and press all the buttons of the same color within 3 seconds and get a big light show in that color for 5 seconds!
Note: The system will have to endure multiple random button pushing, pounding and holding without locking up or giving mixed signals. For this reason I suspect that each of the 6 circuits will be wired independent of each other. Additionally, when we’re crowded the modality changes completely and it’d be nice if the system produced an occasional ‘pay-off’ light show when multiple buttons are continuously pushed in no logical sequence…..(school tour swarm mode)…. say, after 20 seconds of random crowd pounding.