The equipment for interactive displays is becoming increasingly easier, thanks to powerful computer tablets that can show documents, images, and videos. There’s no need to mount a monitor to the wall with a fat cable snaking to a computer unit tucked into a cabinet. I recently saw a nice example of an interactive tablet system at the George Washington University Museum in Washington, DC. The tablet (such as an Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab) is mounted on a stanchion with a special head from the Exhibit Stanchions Group. That’s it. None of the tablet’s ports are blocked so it can be charged or updated even when it’s held in place. The tablet is securely fastened and the stanchion is heavy enough to withstand a casual bump, but if you need to remove the stanchion for an event or use it elsewhere, it can be easily picked up (yes, a thief could steal the whole thing but if they’re walking out the door with a stanchion, you’ve got bigger problems).
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Thanks, Max, for posting. Any idea of the cost of the stanchion? (I looked at their site quickly and didn’t see prices on anything.)
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I had the opportunity to view a temporary exhibit focusing on CA women artists and designers at the Autry Museum using this type of interactive stanchion. It was set up so that when you stopped at a stanchion, on the tablet there was an interactive picture of the designer with movement (like the photos with moving clouds or trees, etc., that I get on my bing homepage.). When you hit the start icon, the artist or video of the artist (in the case of those no longer living) would play. I really enjoyed the exhibit with the inclusion of personal insights from each artist via the tablet media – especially in the case of artists still living. It wasn’t quite like a one-on-one conversation, but it had the dynamic of the addition of the personal dynamic of being able to see the artist and hear her voice.
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