equipment for the Barcelona Science Museum
COSMOCAIXAunivers HALL
Research, design and manufacture of various equipment for the Science Museum of Barcelona.
Client
Mediaproexhibition
Location
Science Museum of Barcelona
Cosmocaixa Barcelona
Characteristics
Year: 2019
Design, research and manufacture of various equipment for the Univers room of Cosmocaixa, the Science Museum of Barcelona.
Interactive museum equipment for the Univers Cosmocaixa room
We were tasked with the design, research and manufacture of various equipment to create interactive and educational experiences for visitors to the Science Museum of Barcelona, specifically for the new permanent "Univers" room.
All modules have been prototyped, where materials, functionality and effects have been studied and tested. The interactive equipment has been resolved based on experimentation and conclusions made in close collaboration with Mediapro and Cosmocaixa.
For the new permanent "Univers" room, new equipment is required to demonstrate, in a didactic and intuitive way, the advantages and characteristics of new generation materials and other physics and biodiversity experiments. Priority is given to interactive equipment so that the visitor can experiment to learn.
This project represented a great challenge for us, as it requires an extra effort in research and development, since many of these materials are very new, difficult to acquire, and their full potential is not known.
Below, we indicate some of the equipment we made:
New Materials
- Experiment with Ferrofluids
- Demonstration of Graphene
- Experiment with Hydrogel
- Demonstration of Nanocarbon
- Experiment with the Novec liquid
Experiment with Physics
- Physical demonstration Quantum
- Demonstrate the Moment of Inertia
- Experiment with an Optical Table
Nature, Biodiversity:
- Listen to the Elephant Fish
- Animal Locomotion Exhibit
- The Brain
- The World Years Ago Continental Drift
Ferrofluids
Ferrofluids are ferromagnetic particles suspended in a fluid. Due to their ferromagnetic particles, they can be altered by a magnetic field, polarizing their particles and acquiring a solid appearance.
The viewer can operate controls to create variations of magnetic fields on an iron cone, thus creating different and spectacular sculptures according to the intensity of the magnetic field generated on the ferrofluids.
For the development of this module, custom electronics are developed, which are responsible for controlling the magnetic fluxes generated by electromagnets that affect cones, these are in contact with the ferrofluid.
Graphene
Graphene is pure carbon, with atoms arranged in a regular hexagonal pattern, similar to graphite. It is an almost transparent material. A sheet one atom thick is about 200 times stronger than the strongest current steel, and about five times lighter than aluminum.
For this demonstration, it was decided to create a piano keyboard, electronics, and amplification equipment. The piano keys are simply a thin sheet with graphene paint, plus a surface epoxy coating. These keys are a conductive element that goes directly to the control board, without cables. The material itself transmits the signal.
The visitor can compose music by playing this static 2-octave keyboard. The black color appearance is due to the paint used, since graphene is transparent at the molecular level.
Hydrogel
Hydrogels are polymers that are hydrophilic, that is, they are attracted to water, as well as being soft and elastic. In the presence of water, they swell, considerably increasing their volume, but maintaining their shape until reaching a physical-chemical equilibrium, while in a dehydrated state (xerogel) they are crystalline.
For the demonstration of this material, a hydraulic system has been made with which the visitor can load and unload water from the container. When it is flooded, the hydrogel balls disappear, having the same refractive index as water. When the water is emptied, the balls reappear.
The system, controlled by an automaton and a hydraulic system, controls the automatic loading in case the viewer leaves it in the discharge position.
Nanocarbon thread
Carbon nanotubes (CNT). Hollow tubes of pure carbon are about 100 times stronger than steel, with 1/6 of its weight. The good conductive properties (of heat and electricity) of nanotubes compete with the best metallic conductors.
The demonstration consists of holding a large diameter lit light bulb supported by two practically invisible nanocarbon threads. These threads conduct electricity to light the bulb while supporting its weight.
In the display case manufactured for this purpose, we have installed sensors and an electrical mechanism to prevent touching the live wires. Once any of the glass panels forming the walls of the display case are opened or broken, the power supply is disconnected.
Novec
3M™ Novec™ 7100 Engineered Fluid, methoxy-nonafluorobutane, is a transparent, colorless, and odorless fluid formulated as a substitute for substances harmful to the ozone layer. It has one of the best toxicological profiles among CFC replacement materials. It features a high boiling point, reduced surface tension, high chemical and thermal stability, as well as low flammability and toxicity, making it highly useful for many industrial applications, especially with solvents.
For this module, a glass display case has been designed, where, at the request of our client, several elements of their choice are submerged in this liquid. Inside the hermetically sealed container, an electronic board continuously powered at 220V is introduced. This powers a light bulb that remains on. There are voltage indicators, submerged and functioning without protection, an open book, and a cell phone that the viewer can call, allowing them to turn the phone on and off externally via an electromechanical mechanism activated by RF. All these elements are submerged in Novec 7100 fluid, working without problems and demonstrating one of the properties of this element.
Quantum Table
An interference pattern is the result of light traveling along both paths simultaneously.
Light arrives in groups of photons. Each of these groups is made of one or a few photons.
The explanation obtained from observing this experiment is that each photon of light travels along two paths at the same time. Quantum superposition can be observed in this experiment.
For this module, we have built and manufactured, in collaboration with Cosmocaixa and following their guidelines, an experimentation table with electromechanical drives and a protective display case that is raised with a manual hydraulic system.
Moment of Inertia
Its mission is to create an environment where visitors can experience and understand a physical phenomenon such as the moment of inertia.
An inclined platform is designed to launch various discs with different diameters, masses, and volumes of materials. Sensors and a digital display are installed so that visitors can experiment with various angular velocities, depending on the disc chosen, and visualize the time it takes to travel the same distance.
The discs have been designed in three different materials: Aluminum, Plastic, and Wood, to provide identical volumes with different masses, the main basis of this experiment.
OPTICAL EXPERIENCE TABLE
Optical experimentation table where visitors can perform various experiments related to optics, playing with various elements and seeing the optical effect produced.
For this equipment, we have designed, studied, and manufactured the entire system of optics, as well as our own collimated light source, the various elements to place and experiment with in the light beams, globes, lenses, filters, etc., so that visitors can experience the effects of optical physics firsthand.
Elephant Fish
The elephant fish can detect electrical impulses. The elephant fish produces small electrical impulses, which create an electric field around the fish. The electricity is generated by a muscle tissue that it possesses in the caudal peduncle.
These impulses are used to avoid obstacles in the dark, pursue live prey in murky water or at night, as well as to recognize other individuals of their species, find a mate, and orient themselves.
This project demonstrates how this fish speaks or communicates. A custom electronic device has been developed, capable of detecting the electrical impulses generated by the elephant fish. Through probes with which the viewer can interact, submerging them inside the aquarium. When the probes are inserted, they become active and capture the impulses. This signal is processed and displayed graphically on a screen, so that the viewer can visualize the emissions of this fish.
Animal Locomotion
A set of drawers which incorporate groups of texts and images. We have created the lighting system, which consists of a static lighting system, which changes forming groups, through the interaction of the viewer through pushbuttons. The system is based on a DMX network and controlled by a microcontroller.
Brain
For this module, we were in charge of manufacturing the control, motorization, and base for the rotation with lighting that serves as a support for this wonderful plastified real brain.
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