SOLUTIONS: DIGITAL HUMANITIES HUB, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM [INSTALLED]
VIDEO Barco OLS-721 70in Full HD LED display cubes
Samsung SUR40 touchtable
Ideum MT55 touchtable Sony Bravia XBR-65HX950 65in 3D LCDs
Panasonic TH-65PF30ER 65in 1080p plasmas
Vicon Bonita B3 and B10 cameras
Volfoni Edge 1.3 RF 3D glasses
Volfoni Activehub 3D sync signal converters
Special headwear is designed to intricately track each individual’s head movements and gaze
to select a particular asset, rotate and manipulate it, and zoom in on it to extraordinarily fine detail.” All screens – large and small, stationary and mobile – are tightly networked, enabling a visitor to move the content they are looking at from wall to tabletop to handheld device. “They can drag an item to their device, and share it using hand gestures to ‘flick’ it to the device of the person next to them,” says Clay. The Hub’s virtual
technology enables visitors to manipulate and examine objects in far more intricate detail than a static glass display case could ever provide.
DIGGING DEEPER But beyond the visitor experience, Mechdyne has taken the technology to another level – far beyond a standard interactive museum exhibit. One thing that was clear from the integrator’s conversations with the university was the latter’s desire to gain insight into what people were looking at and what they liked, to create better and more interesting museums. “Ideally, we want to get people to approach the process without focusing on technology at all,” comments Julien Berta, Mechdyne’s VP of technology and innovation. “That’s not easy to do, particularly with people who are all, themselves, very tech savvy. But we try to get them to focus on the larger question: what are they trying to achieve, and how will they measure success?” A range of technologies
delivers the valuable analytics and research data that are essential to the operations and work of the facility.
Gathering that data begins 56 April 2014
when visitors enter the space, where they agree to be outfitted with special headwear designed to intricately track each individual’s head movements and gaze. As they move around the gallery, information is compiled on which exhibits they select, how they display them, and which items they focus on. The result is a wealth of data that can be analysed to gain deep insight and
understanding into user patterns and preferences. “What we have created is essentially a 3D model of the room,” explains Clay. “Our researchers can see people moving around in real time [via 22 Bonita cameras] and get information on what they look at and what they do. At any point during the day, we can query and get a view of the whole room, with thumbnails of what’s playing where. We can compile that information, analyse it, and extract certain data from it.” It’s that information which
offers a unique insight into people’s choices and viewing habits, as well as an invaluable perspective for museum curators and others who put together exhibitions. “We can measure responses of a given population to different materials, and fine- tune things accordingly,” says Clay. “It helps content providers put together better exhibits, which ultimately benefits visitors.” Berta compares the solution to a website, as much of the experience is an online experience. “We can delineate by age or demographic, and tell you how many times someone has looked at a particular piece of art that day, that week, that month, how long they lingered, where they came from before that and where they went next,” he
says. “We’re using the analytical power of the web and applying it to a physical space, with digital content.”
NATURAL EVOLUTION The Hub’s technology has already exceeded the university’s initial expectations. PhD students are using the system with an array of fossils and sabre tooth tiger skulls; one student is running an experiment in which someone walks up to the tiger skull, touches the display with their
smartphone and the skull appears on their phone. They can then rotate the image, go over to the wall-mounted screen and, thanks to gesture programming, flick the image from their phone onto the large screen to zoom in on it; or they can send it to the tables where they can then look at maps
Sony DLDR816 rechargeable 3D glasses
to see the tigers’ geographical habitats. This wasn’t in the system’s initial plans, but it gives an idea of its expansion potential. A social media aspect to the technology has also grown from the exhibition. Visitors can check in at the museum on their smartphone, walk up to a display and use their device to discover more about particular artifacts on display. They can then click ‘like’ and the item will then appear on their social network page, along with a picture of what they were looking at. In addition, the university is
already offering ideas as to how the system can be implemented to facilitate commerce. “There’s ample potential for integrating this experience with the museum’s store, as well,” says Berta. “You could have an option to click ‘buy’ and be
Extron DTP DVI 301 TX/RX extender transmitters/ receivers
Extron DA4 RGBHV distribution amplifier
Digi-Key Wavestation 2012- ND function generator
AUDIO Gefen EXT-DIGAUD-141 digital audio extenders
Yamaha YAS-101 5.1 soundbar
Denon AVR-1713 5.1 channel receiver
Tannoy TS2.10 10in sub JBL Control 23 two-way mid/high speakers
Tang Band W3-1053SC 3in drivers
Extron XPA 1002 amplifiers
presented with items from the store that feature that article – prints, postcards, coffee mugs, whatever – choose what you want, and place it in your shopping cart. When you get to the exit area, your device will ask if you want to complete your transaction, and when you leave the museum your purchase is waiting for you.”
www.barco.com www.denon.co.uk www.digikey.co.uk www.extron.com www.gefen.com www.ideum.com www.jblpro.com www.mechdyne.com business.panasonic.co.uk www.samsung.com pro.sony.eu www.tannoy.com www.tb-speaker.com www.vicon.com www.volfoni.com www.yamahaproaudio.com
Objects can be manipulated and examined in close detail
www.installation-international.com
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