inspiration

I was in St. Louis, MO, over this past weekend, and went to the St. Louis Science Center as my gallery. Though it may seem less than a true gallery, perhaps these photos will change your mind:


The photos are of a Marbleworks-style large scale ball track that overwhelms you the moment you enter the facility. Partially kid-powered and partially electrically powered, the system sends croquet-sized balls around any of about ten different paths that spin, rotate, bounce, and flip different elements. It's a sublime blending of the low and the high tech, and it certainly sets the tone well for the building you're about to enter.

There were other inspiring elements, as well. A floor panel (sadly unphotographable by virtue of losing all effect when you did) showed an image projected down from above, which kids could step on, causing water to "ripple," glass to "break," and bubbles to "pop" as a result of the infra-red scanner above them. It was a lot of fun.

And I got an idea.

A kid-controlled electrical ball track. The screen that they step on will sense their presence, allowing them to wave their arms around, pushing virtual balls toward a virtual chute, which will trigger a real auger that will pull real balls into the air. Another screen will sense their arms' motion and decide which paths they are sent down into. As the balls roll back down into the reservoir beneath the first screen, it will be dropped back in to the virtual reservoir on the screen, which can take the shape of any number of things; perhaps a factory, a game court, a field, et cetera.

Unfortunately, I have neither the resources nor the knowledge to be able to put this together. But it would certainly be fun!