Discussion System in the Scientific Research and Technology Museum

As a reporter who has been operating in the audio overview market for ten years, I have carried out on-site monitorings at science and innovation galleries in over twenty nations worldwide. Yet when I walked into the London Science Gallery again in the late autumn of 2025, I was still attracted by the silver-white terminal of the interpretation devices at the entry-- discussion system. A traveler from Australia was gently touching the screen with his fingertip, selecting the "English-- Industrial Transformation Event Location" mode. A couple of seconds later, the tool automatically pushed a dedicated visiting route, even marking "The 18th Century Vapor Engine Exhibition Area has fewer visitors today. It is suggested to see initially."

This scene exactly shows the upgrading and model of the event and analysis system at the Science Gallery in London over the past three years. This "Worldwide Science and Innovation Palace" with 70 exhibition rooms, 200,000 displays and an 8-acre location, from the 14th-century bronze bell to the 20th-century lunar module, from the rubbing coefficient slide in the remarkable research laboratory to the "earth-shaking and earth-shaking" in the lightning simulation room, just how is it clarified with an intelligent discussion system Can foreign tourists of different languages and ages comprehend the progression of human technological history? Today, from a market point of view, we will discover the value behind this discussion system.

The Interpretation Predicament of the Century-old Science and Modern Technology Gallery

Before we discuss the current intelligent systems, ying mi we have to go back three years-- when I visited the Science Museum in London for the first time, I took place to meet a team of intermediate school students from Canada. They collected in a circle in front of the display of Watt's enhanced vapor engine in the 18th century, but might only frown at the textual description. The educator in charge stated helplessly, "The hand-operated explanation will take half an hour and only in English and French. The children want to know the functioning concept of the vapor engine, however they can not discover an appropriate way."

This is not a separated instance. As one of the leading 3 science and technology museums worldwide in regards to function volume, the Science Museum in London invites over 3 million visitors every year, 60% of whom are foreign site visitors from around the globe. Before the intelligent interpretation system was executed, the 3 major "analysis dilemmas" it faced were virtually usual troubles for all international scientific research and innovation museums.

The dilemma of the span of exhibitions and the deepness of explanations

The exhibitions in this gallery period a timeline of 600 years: from the copper clock utilized for astronomical observation in the 14th century, to the Newcomen steam engine in the early 18th century, and then to the lunar module and re-entry component of Apollo 10 in 1969. Standard hands-on explanations are either "cursory" or can just cover a couple of popular exhibits-- for instance, the initial general-purpose computer that many international visitors concern see particularly, yet typically as a result of the lengthy line up for descriptions, they can only take a picture and leave.

The concern of multilingualism and real-time interaction

The most headache-inducing issue for international travelers is most certainly the language barrier. Previously, although the gallery had audio overviews in English, French and German, the web content was fixed and they were not interactive. For instance, in the lightning simulation location of the "Marvel Laboratory", after the personnel demonstrated the experiment of "simulating lightning hitting a metal pole", some Japanese travelers wanted to ask, "Why does lightning strike sharp objects first?" Nevertheless, as a result of the language obstacle, they might only gesture and thus missed the possibility to gain a much deeper understanding.

Z1 System: Adapt Exhibits to the routines of foreign tourists

In the "Digital Modern Technology Exhibit Location" of a foreign scientific research and technology museum, I saw the sensible application of the Yingmi Z1 system-- in front of a display cabinet showcasing the very first general-purpose computer (ENIAC), there was a 21-inch high-def LCD display embedded. A tourist from Singapore picked up the "interactive sensing board" close to the display case, and the display instantly appeared an animation of the functioning principle of ENIAC. He asked in English voice, "What's the difference in between ENIAC and contemporary computers?" The system gave a succinct response within one 2nd, together with a contrast graph.

This Z1 system is a customized adjustment we made based on the habits of worldwide vacationers. Thomas, the head of the gallery's technical division, told me. From a market viewpoint, the reason the Z1 system can meet the needs of international science museums depends on its remedy to the issue of "just how exhibits can interact successfully with foreign site visitors", and there are three vital designs behind this.

Multi-mode interaction without thresholds.Foreign visitors come from different cultural histories and have varying levels of knowledge with the operation interface. The Z1 system provides three communication methods: "touch + voice + light sensing". For instance, in the "Friction Coefficient Slide" exhibit area of the "Remarkable Research laboratory"-- there are mini slides made from timber, plastic and metal. Children can observe the speed differences by moving the small balls. On the Z1 terminal close to it, you can either touch the screen with your finger to choose the explanation of "The concept of friction coefficient" or say in English, "Why do the tiny spheres on the plastic slide run the fastest?" The system will automatically match the matching material. Also when the child places the little sphere on top of the slide, the light-sensing device will certainly set off a description, "This is the fight between gravity and rubbing." This "discovering by doing" mode is especially prominent among international family members with children.

From simply checking out exhibits to appreciating different solutions

Numerous foreign travelers have an interest in the gallery's outer products when visiting-- such as mini models of 18th-century steam engines and cultural and innovative items with the theme of lunar modules. When the Z1 system is explaining the exhibits, an entry for "Associated Accessories" will certainly appear at the bottom of the screen. After clicking on it, you can see the price and product, and likewise choose in between "in-store pickup" or "International Express delivery". Thomas revealed me a collection of data: Given that the Z1 system was launched, worldwide orders for museum-related items have enhanced by 40%. "Many travelers, upon seeing the model on the audio overview, located it practical and positioned an order directly without having to seek a store."

Use information to optimize the popularity of displays

As a sector journalist, I pay particular interest to the "back-end capabilities" of the discussion system-- the Z1 system can tape-record the "variety of check outs", "interaction period" and "key inquiries" of each exhibit. For example, information programs that the average interaction time of foreign visitors with the "lunar module" is 8 mins, and the most frequently asked question is "Exactly how do astronauts survive in the re-entry capsule?" Nonetheless, the copper bells from the 14th century, although visited by lots of people, had a low interaction price. Based upon these information, the museum has adjusted the web content of its descriptions: it has actually added video clips of "information of astronauts' lives" to the lunar module and supplemented the story of "how it affected the timing of navigation at that time" to the bronze bell, making the much less prominent exhibits likewise draw in international tourists to remain.

Much more significantly, the "customization capacity" of the Z1 system flawlessly matches the features of the exhibition areas in international scientific research galleries. For instance, in the "Industrial Revolution Event Location", the screen cupboards are tailor-made according to the dimension of the steam engine. The display screen of Z1 is installed on the side of the screen cabinet, which neither blocks the exhibits neither makes it convenient for visitors to watch. In the "Remarkable Laboratory", considering the a great deal of youngsters, the terminal of the Z1 was made with rounded edges and made of scratch-resistant abdominal plastic. "Even if it is unintentionally bumped by a child, it will not damage," Thomas stated with a smile.

Zoned description of strategies

The Z1 system has actually dealt with the problem of "communication between exhibits and visitors", truly addressing the sector's difficult problem of "simultaneous descriptions in multiple locations"-- this is additionally what I believe is the most worthy of recommendation for foreign scientific research and technology galleries.

3 years earlier, when I was speaking with in the "Agricultural Equipment Section" of the museum, the clear voice of the description from the "Computer system Section" next door came through. A designer from Germany whined, "I wanted to pay attention carefully to the story of the tractor's development, but I was constantly interrupted by the computer system's description." Currently, this situation has entirely disappeared-- due to the fact that the system embraces UWB ultra-wideband positioning modern technology, with a placing precision of ± 10cm, which can exactly determine the location where tourists are located.

When you go into the "Heavy steam Engine Event Area", the system will certainly activate a description within 0.5 seconds after you enter the area. When you get to the side of the exhibition area, the descriptions will naturally fade in and out, without all of a sudden disrupting or ringing out." Thomas took me on an experience: from the steam engine area to the combine farmer area, the web content of the explanation efficiently transitioned from "Watt's procedure of boosting the steam engine" to "Exactly how the combine farmer transformed farming production", the quantity gradually dropped from 60 decibels to 0, and then rose to 60 decibels in the integrate farmer area, without any feeling of abrupidity. This "0.8-1.2 seconds flexible fade-in and fade-out" is exactly the vital indication for examining the "acoustic efficiency" of the zonal discussion system in the sector-- it avoids the embarrassment of standard systems making loud noises as soon as they get in the area, and is particularly ideal for the behavior of international travelers to "walk gradually".

The more core is the "independent sound area" modern technology. The exhibit locations of the Scientific research Museum in London are relatively near to each other. As an example, the "Computer Location" and the "Lunar Module Location" are only divided by a glass wall. Nonetheless, with the dual sound reduction of "physical seclusion + digital formula", the explanations in both areas will not interfere with each other. I performed an examination: when the description was playing in the computer system area, standing on the opposite of the glass wall in the lunar module area, I might hardly hear any sound. And vice versa. This sort of "non-interference" experience is especially vital for international visitors-- most of them wish to focus on the exhibitions before them and not be interrupted by other audios.

The "stability" of the system has actually additionally been checked in actual fight. Throughout peak hours each day, the Scientific research Gallery in London sees thousands of foreign site visitors making use of the directed tour system at the same time, covering several languages such as English, French and Spanish. Nevertheless, the system sustains multi-user parallel procedure and there will certainly be no "regularity crossover"-- as an example, if you pick an English explanation, French web content will never unexpectedly appear. Thomas stated, "Last summer season vacation, we received 23,000 travelers a day and the system ran with no mistakes. This was something we never dared to visualize previously."

On top of that, the "scalability" of the system likewise leaves sufficient space for the future. As an example, at the start of this year, the museum added a brand-new exhibition location called "AI and Future Innovation". By merely establishing a few UWB placing base stations in the brand-new event location, the existing system can be linked without needing to reconstruct the entire collection of devices. "For foreign scientific research and modern technology museums, exhibit areas are constantly upgraded and systems can be flexibly broadened, so there is no demand to continuously invest funds."" This factor has actually been discussed by a lot of the heads of the international science and innovation galleries I have talked to-- scalability is a vital consideration for them when picking a discussion system.

The presentation system ends up being a good assistant for checking out the gallery

Throughout the one-week interview at the Science Museum in London, I randomly interviewed over 20 international vacationers. Their assessments of the interpretation system could be a lot more persuading than technological parameters.

Lily, a senior high school pupil from New York, USA, involved see with her "Scientific Research and Innovation History Project". "Before, I needed to hold a notebook to record the details of the exhibitions. Now, the audio overview will certainly send the bottom lines to my email and mark the components that need thorough research."" She opened her phone and showed it to me: In the explanation of the lunar module, she marked "thermal security products for the re-entry pill", and the system additionally automatically advised related prominent scientific research posts. "This is so practical for my research."

The Yamada couple from Tokyo, Japan, went to the "Fantastic Research laboratory" with their 5-year-old kid. The kid was specifically thinking about the coefficient of friction of the slide. The commentator demonstrated with an animation "Why plastic slides are quicker than wooden ones", and he understood it right away. Mrs. Yamada claimed that in the past, when she took her child to check out the science and modern technology gallery, the child always asked "why?" and she could not answer. Currently, the audio overview has actually come to be a "momentary instructor", "and it can even switch to Japanese. It's so hassle-free."

Pierre, a designer from Paris, France, a lot of approves of the "quietness" of the zonal presentation system. The last time I came right here, there were explanations all over, however this time around there's none in all. I can pay attention attentively to the story of each display, such as the detailed explanation of the advancement process of the initial computer, as well as the interview video clips of the engineers. This is really important to me.

These real experiences confirm the success of the upgrade of the analysis system at the Science Museum in London-- it is no longer a "chilly tool", yet a "bridge attaching exhibits with foreign visitors". As Thomas said, "We really hope that every foreign visitor, no matter their country or language, can comprehend the technical stories behind these exhibitions and feel the power of human progress."

When picking a presentation system, it should be in line with the demands

As a reporter with 10 years of sector experience, I am typically asked by the managers of international science and innovation museums, "How should we select a screen and discussion system that suits us?" It is not about pursuing one of the most pricey modern technology, yet rather regarding "adapting the attributes of one's own exhibits and the demands of visitors".

To start with, it is essential to clear up the "core need". The core needs of the Scientific research Museum are "offering global site visitors, resolving crosstalk problems, and accomplishing interactive experiences", so it has picked the Z1 system + UWB zoning innovation. If it is a small science and modern technology gallery with few exhibits and mainly regional visitors, such an intricate system may not be needed. A fundamental Bluetooth sound overview can fulfill the needs.

Secondly, focus should be paid to "user routines". A lot of international travelers choose "independent operation and adaptable interaction", so the system should be straightforward and easy to use, sustaining multiple languages and several interaction techniques. For example, the voice communication of Z1 doesn't need pushing way too many switches. Just stating one sentence can cause it, which is significantly in accordance with the operation behaviors of international vacationers.

Ultimately, it is important to affix value to "customer service". The presentation system is not something that can be merely purchased; it needs long-lasting maintenance and upgrades. The manufacturer selected by the Scientific research Museum in London will routinely send individuals to check the equipment, readjust the description material according to the updated exhibitions, and also offer 24-hour technological support. During last Christmas, a Z1 terminal malfunctioned, and the supplier showed up within two hours to repair it, which did not influence the visitor experience.

At the end of the interview, I was standing in the room of the Scientific research Gallery in London, seeing the sunlight infiltrating the glass dome and falling on the "Lunar module" exhibits. A little woman from India was making use of the AR feature of the audio overview to "touch" the lunar module model on the display, her face full of curiosity. Then, I understood that a good display and discussion system not only allows the exhibitions to "talk", however likewise enables visitors from different nations to feel the charm of innovation-- this may be the greatest inspiration that the "smart description transformation" of the Scientific Research Gallery in London has given science galleries around the world.

From the ancient clocks of the 14th century to the lunar modules of the 20th century, the Science Gallery in London has brought its 600-year-old technological heritage to life with an intelligent analysis system. For international science and modern technology galleries, the value of this system lies not only in the innovation itself, but likewise in its "visitor-centered" design concept-- making it possible for every international site visitor to comprehend the stories behind the technology in an environment free from language barriers and audio interference.

In the future, with the development of AI multilingual technology and customized content generation, there will be much more possibilities for presentation systems. But regardless of exactly how technology upgrades, the core stays the same: to bring exhibitions closer to site visitors and spread the stories of modern technology around the world. The practice of the Scientific research Gallery in London has actually currently supplied a worthy model for this path.