Interactive Museum Exhibit
Client
Georgia Capitol Museum
Summary
Touch-driven, three-screen civil-rights exhibit—offline, museum-grade reliability in a historic space.
Tags
Engineering, Interactive, System Integration, Installation, Technical Support, TouchDesigner
The Challenge
Design a touch-driven civil-rights exhibit for the Georgia Capitol Museum. It had to run reliably in a historic building with constraints on power, acoustics, and network security. The system needed to be straightforward to maintain and stable for daily public use. Tight installation budget, offline operation (no external network), historic-grade mounting and acoustics, and non-technical staff responsible for daily operation.
My Solution & Approach
System Design & Documentation (Vectorworks)
Equipment layouts, I/O diagrams, dimensions, and power specs to guide fabrication and facilities work.
Architecture
A single control machine handles sensor input and media; display controller manages distribution/sync.
Interactive Application (TouchDesigner)
Custom app across three displays with synchronized playback, touch-triggered video segments, inactivity timeout, and basic session/user counting.
Installation Coordination
Partnered with museum staff and a local carpenter to meet power, sound, mounting, and offline-operation requirements; chose external touch overlays to balance budget and reliability.
Operational Continuity
After a power event, replaced the control PC and restored 24/7 stability; provided a step-by-step troubleshooting guide for staff.
Physical & Audio Integration
Embedded speakers, ventilation, and cable management within a custom wood frame appropriate for the historic setting.
Offline Workflow
Fully self-contained system with on-site update process (no building-network dependency).
Key Features & Contributions
- Three-screen, touch-responsive installation with synchronized playback.
- Custom TouchDesigner logic for interaction, timeouts, and user tracking.
- Clear technical documentation to support future maintenance.
- On-site integration and testing to meet building and security constraints.
- Operational resilience: Modular components allowed quick hardware replacement after a power event; the system has remained stable in daily use since.
Technical Summary
- Software: TouchDesigner
- Hardware: Intel NUC 11; PQ Labs touch overlay; DATAPATH Fx4; 3 × Samsung 4K displays