For the groundbreaking multimillion-dollar MeLab interactive health and wellness experience for children, located in the largest gallery of the Frost Museum of Science, 3DS served as the museum’s single-source exhibit fabrication partner.
In MeLab, visitors discover how daily choices can affect their health and wellness, becoming their own experiment across five interactive zones (Learn, Eat, Relax, Move, and Connect).
3DS’ role as fabricator for MeLab required extensive collaboration with multiple partners to fully define the exhibit structures and mechanical and digital interactives. Each of the 5 highly interactive zones has its own cluster of 3 large, round tabletops on robust millwork bases, forming activity hubs or “pods.” Each pod offers a variety of hands-on play activities that incorporate electromechanical interactives, puzzles, and physical objects – some mounted to the exhibit structure, others loose for creative play, and all integrated with touch screen media, sound, and lighting. An additional technical design challenge was to build the pods so they could fold up within themselves to easily be moved off the floor for events.
Project scope for 3DS included the integration of all exhibits, signage and interactive experiences, and the management of subcontractors, including New York’s interaction design firm, Potion. Our services included design-assist, engineering and technical development, prototyping, fabrication, and installation of the following features:
- Over 45 highly complex, mobile mechanical and digital interactive exhibits that can be quickly moved from this large multi-purpose space.
- A unique, multi-component 7′ high clamshell exhibit that opens and closes to store multiple smaller exhibits and elements.
- Integration of all software, hardware, and equipment.
- Signage and graphics
- Gallery kitchen