Chemieraum – Tangible Chemistry in Exhibition Space
red dot: best of the best
red dot award: design concept 2008
Chemieraum is an interactive interface that
promotes the learning of chemistry. It allows
children and teenagers to experiment on a
basic level.
Designed in collaboration with TUMlab at the
Deutsche Museum in Munich, Chemieraum
provides museums, schools and institutions
working within the field of chemistry the
opportunity to explore the world of natural
science. A working prototype consisting
of a wall projection, a media table with a
haptic input device has been created. The
whole assembly is modular and expandable
according to the space availability.
The visitor to the installation experiences an
initial encounter with Chemieraum with the
image of himself/herself projected on the screen. As the visitor moves in closer, the image of the visitor gets progressively larger
until the molecules that surround him/her are
visible.
The visitor is then able to navigate through
the interface with the haptic input device to discover more about the molecules in the environment. The visitor begins his/her learning process by choosing a molecule from
the “molecule library”, or configuring their own
compound of molecules by using elements
from the “construction kit of atoms”.
This construction kit includes the five basic
elements – Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O),
Nitrogen (N), Carbon (C) and Sulfur (S). As
the visitor selects an element, additional
information about the molecule – such
as the element’s different gaseous states
– is projected on the screen. The element’s
gaseous states can be compared and
controlled by using the temperature control.
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