Interactivity at Science Museum

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The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology in Oslo is one of Norway’s most visited museums, and covers around 20,000 square meters over four different floors.
 
In an effort to make the exhibitions more engaging and stimulating, the museum decided to employ interactive digital information screens from Scala Certified Partner Kongsberg Intellifield AS and their collaborator Eytor Interaktiv Media. Their solution was to create an interactive experience for the audience in both the ‘Climate X’ exhibition and in the Science Centre. At Climate X, spectacular effects are used to show the causes and effects of global warming. Visitors wear special rubber boots when entering the exhibition, as the floor is covered with 10 cm of water to illustrate the effect of increasing sea levels. Various relevant questions are displayed on the projector screen concerning global warming issues. The audience is encouraged to involve themselves and provide a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer by stepping on a red or green footprint embedded in the water. After a few seconds, the answers are compiled and displayed on the projector screen, citing the number of participants and the percentage of correct answers. The fact that the footprints (triggers) were embedded in water made the installation a unique challenge.
 
The Science Centre uses Scala at two exhibits. One exhibit includes an interactive water-pump installation that demonstrates energy creation through waterpower. Visitors follow on-screen instructions to pump water. When completed the screen displays the amount of energy created and how the energy can be employed. Another exhibit emulates an interactive weather station, where visitors can experience various types of extreme weather, by selecting hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. from a touch screen and watching the results on a big screen surrounded by mirrors to enhance the effect.
 
“The highlight of the exhibit was the ability to deploy a topically-relevant digital information solution in a demanding exhibition environment,” said Eytor Sigurbergsson, consultant in Eytor Interaktiv Media. “The Scala digital signage platform contributed to the success of the deployment by providing critical functionality to accommodate the unique requirements of the exhibit.”