Centro de Ciência Viva do Lousal - Shower of Science
Project developed in a team environment, in Maquettree Studios, Lda.
Duration Period: October 2008 - June 2010
Olympus Microscope's fully functional housing
Users may interact with the microscope using limited functions
Center's monitors may interact with all the functions of the microscope
Touching Stones
Participation: Braïlle Writing; 2,5 Axis CNC Milling
Participation: Braïlle Writing; 2,5 Axis CNC Milling
Braïlle over transparent acrylic's surface, lettering below surface (laser engraving)
Braïlle's balls slots milled CNC milling machine
Braïlle's balls slots milled CNC milling machine
Histories that minerals tell us about
Participation: Product and Exhibit Design, Display Design, Interaction Design, Mechanical System Design, Final Assembly
Participation: Product and Exhibit Design, Display Design, Interaction Design, Mechanical System Design, Final Assembly
Left side: Glovebox: the user is invited to crack some pieces of Calcite using a mineralogist's hammer, inside a protecting glovebox, and remove the small pieces to take them to the stereoscopic magnifying lens;
Right side: Stereoscopic Magnifying Lens's fully functional housing: the user places the small pieces of Calcite inside a sample tray, to look at them with a 4x magnification.
Right side: Stereoscopic Magnifying Lens's fully functional housing: the user places the small pieces of Calcite inside a sample tray, to look at them with a 4x magnification.
Left side (parallelogram shaped box): There are 6 minerals, that rotate and reflect light in a certain way, after the user selects the active mineral. Afterwards, the user in invited to guess which luster is the most correct, within 4 possible answers;
Right side (transparent tube): Tube display, showing 11 minerals rotating in an apparent downward spiral, which gives the impression that the minerals are falling in slow-motion.
Right side (transparent tube): Tube display, showing 11 minerals rotating in an apparent downward spiral, which gives the impression that the minerals are falling in slow-motion.
Boxes to understand the Earth
Participation: Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Mechanical System Design, 3D Rendering(exhibit with production halted, due to being dependent to other structural fixtures, to be made by another company
Participation: Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Mechanical System Design, 3D Rendering(exhibit with production halted, due to being dependent to other structural fixtures, to be made by another company
3D Rendering of the exhibit depicting the final concept.
This rendering is currently attached to the wall where the exhibit should be mounted.
The purpose of the exhibit is to show subduction in tectonic plates, and how the plates interact, to create irregularities in the world's landscapes.
This rendering is currently attached to the wall where the exhibit should be mounted.
The purpose of the exhibit is to show subduction in tectonic plates, and how the plates interact, to create irregularities in the world's landscapes.
Vulcan's Forge
Participation: 3 Axis CNC Milling, Gas Flow Analysis
Participation: 3 Axis CNC Milling, Gas Flow Analysis
Left side: 4 terrain scale models representing 4 stages of the geomorphological evolution of Fogo Island, in Cape Verde;
Right side (inside the tube): scale model representing the Fogo Island volcano in its current shape. This is actually an exhibit that shows past eruptions of the volcano, and gives the opportunity to users to see it erupt, with real smoke being blown from volcano shafts.
Right side (inside the tube): scale model representing the Fogo Island volcano in its current shape. This is actually an exhibit that shows past eruptions of the volcano, and gives the opportunity to users to see it erupt, with real smoke being blown from volcano shafts.
Nature Watchers
Participation: Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Interface Design, Mechanical System Design, 3 Axis CNC Milling, Final Assembly
Participation: Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Interface Design, Mechanical System Design, 3 Axis CNC Milling, Final Assembly
Exhibit showing how plants may indicate the pollution levels around a mine. Lichens reveal air pollution, and certain plants prosper in metal-contaminated soils.
The user slides a cursor on a ruler that shows the current distance from the mine area, highlighting the places in the scale model where we may find those plants and lichens, while showing species of plants we may find by that distance.
The user slides a cursor on a ruler that shows the current distance from the mine area, highlighting the places in the scale model where we may find those plants and lichens, while showing species of plants we may find by that distance.
Aquatic life under the sunlight
Participation: Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Structural Stress Analysis, Final Assembly
Participation: Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Structural Stress Analysis, Final Assembly
Aquarium with some specimens of zooplankton, such as Dussartius baeticus and Daphnia obtusa. the user lifts one of the magnifying glasses, which will lit one of the LED strips.
These small animals show a behavior called phototaxis, which consists on the attraction of the small animal towards the light source.
The structural stress analysis was calculated based on a 10 year old child's average weight hanging below the top LED bar, which contributed to the optimal steel thickness selection.
These small animals show a behavior called phototaxis, which consists on the attraction of the small animal towards the light source.
The structural stress analysis was calculated based on a 10 year old child's average weight hanging below the top LED bar, which contributed to the optimal steel thickness selection.
Aquatic life in the darkness
Participation: Exhibit Design; Technical Drawings; Mechanical System Design; Final Assembly
Photo of a detail of the mechanical drive system;
The user starts its experience by touching on a black acrylic surface. Afterwards, one has to drag its finger on the surface, chasing one of the 3 possible sounds, like a predator behind its prey, without using eyesight;
Basically, the mechanism is a 2 Axis laser sensor drive unit, detecting the human finger, and playing sounds according to pre-defined coordinates, until reaching one of the finish positions, where an animal is revealed beneath the surface.
The user starts its experience by touching on a black acrylic surface. Afterwards, one has to drag its finger on the surface, chasing one of the 3 possible sounds, like a predator behind its prey, without using eyesight;
Basically, the mechanism is a 2 Axis laser sensor drive unit, detecting the human finger, and playing sounds according to pre-defined coordinates, until reaching one of the finish positions, where an animal is revealed beneath the surface.
Detecting blind ores
Participation: Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Fictional Terrain Creation, Interface Design, Final Assembly
Participation: Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Fictional Terrain Creation, Interface Design, Final Assembly
Left Side: a fictional terrain scale model, used to explain how geologists detect ore without having to dig the ground. The user pushes one single action button, and raises one rod in each push, that represents the gravimetric measurement (represented by the rod's height) on the rod's location. 5 rods lift up, and afterwards, a whole graph connecting the dots, appears in the middle of the model, surprising the unaware user. Afterwards, a geological section cut lights up, and shows where the ore is, in relation to the graph height on that spot.
Right Side: a protective housing containing a real gravity meter, used to detect ore in the past, which contributed for the opening of several mines in Portugal.
Right Side: a protective housing containing a real gravity meter, used to detect ore in the past, which contributed for the opening of several mines in Portugal.
Guiding Light
Participation: Technical Parts Design, Technical Drawings, Final Assembly
Participation: Technical Parts Design, Technical Drawings, Final Assembly
Exhibit made to describe how optic fiber works, and how does light bends.
With the push of a button, one may verify a laser beam reflecting inside the walls of a mineral oil drop, that ends up lighting the whole area where the oil is dropping.
With the push of a button, one may verify a laser beam reflecting inside the walls of a mineral oil drop, that ends up lighting the whole area where the oil is dropping.
Light Hose
Participation:Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Final Assembly
Participation:Exhibit Design, Technical Drawings, Final Assembly
Exhibit showing one of the many applications for optic fibers: finding victims of a catastrophe.
The user inserts a digital endoscope inside one of the 6 holes: the 3 on the left show a partial mine collapse, while the 3 holes on the right side show a collapsed flat in an earthquake situation. The user has to identify the victims and their location, by looking to the screen on the right.
Notice: The earthquake scale models were based on the 1995 Kobe earthquake, Japan. The 2010 Port-au-Prince and the 2011 Tohoku major earthquakes only occurred after this exhibit was built and delivered. The Port-au-Prince earthquake occurred few days after the completion of the exhibit.
The mine collapse situation was fictional and was not based on any actual event. Chile's mining accident in Copiapó only occurred afterwards.
The user inserts a digital endoscope inside one of the 6 holes: the 3 on the left show a partial mine collapse, while the 3 holes on the right side show a collapsed flat in an earthquake situation. The user has to identify the victims and their location, by looking to the screen on the right.
Notice: The earthquake scale models were based on the 1995 Kobe earthquake, Japan. The 2010 Port-au-Prince and the 2011 Tohoku major earthquakes only occurred after this exhibit was built and delivered. The Port-au-Prince earthquake occurred few days after the completion of the exhibit.
The mine collapse situation was fictional and was not based on any actual event. Chile's mining accident in Copiapó only occurred afterwards.
