Changing the Face of Medicine Artifact Interactives
Touch screens mounted near display cases give visitors an enhanced understanding of adjacent artifacts on view.
Through four small screens, visitors at the Changing the Face of Medicine exhibition can interact with 3-D reconstructions of artifacts to reveal their inner workings. Visitors twirl panoramic image sequences of an artifact to view it from every side, or use sliders to compare items. The simple interfaces have an immediacy that helps visitors connect more directly with items that on their own might at first elude understanding. A sphygmograph, for example, is reconstructed in 3-D and animated to show how the enigmatic device captured a patient’s pulse: visitors can rotate the animated scene to explore every angle and intuitively understand how it worked.
Press & Awards
- Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design, Jenifer Tidwell, 2006 (O’Reilly)
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American Association of Museums Muse Awards, Silver, Science, 2004
“The sphygmograph interactive uses simple computer animations to explain the operation of a very complicated medical device. The device itself is within a case. In fact, the object on display would be very difficult for visitors to understand without the use of technology. This entry is a very helpful interpretive tool for explaining an obscure but important artifact. It is a perfect example of how new media can help visitors learn in an exhibition, rather than just add noise and diversion.”
- “Realtime,” Wired, March 2004
- Eisenhower National Clearinghouse, Digital Dozen, January 2004
- Blue Web’n, November 21, 2003
Credits
- Producer
- Jeremy Clark
- Designers
- Gabe Kean
- Developer
- Sam Ward
- Writers
- Lisa Berndt
- 3-D Visualization
- Matt Arnold
- Production Assistant
- David Waingarten
- Exhibit Design
- Riggs Ward