Science Center Medical Technology, 2009

Berlin, Germany

Discover, experience, and understand knowledge in a playful way: Medical technology producer Ottobock Healthcare commissioned ART+COM to bring to life their varied products, research innovations and business activities in a manner attractive to both professionals and the general public. Opened in June 2009, the Science Center Medical Technology presents the exhibition “Discover, what moves us”, designed by ART+COM.

Covering an area of 450 square metres, numerous interactive media stations illustrate the intricacies of human motor functions and highlight how nature often provides the best models for highly-developed medical technology. Perceptual stimulation and visitor participation are central; hands-on exhibits invite visitors to explore the fascination of grasping and walking using their own hands and feet.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the widely-visible media façade, consisting of 15 moving light points whose motions mimic joint movements during human gait. The simulation visually projects the theme of walking into the urban domain. Adjacent to the entrance of the Science Center an eight-metre tall kinetic installation — Grasp Pendulum — is located. Screens mounted on three motorised pendulums show virtual hands that interact playfully across the monitors.

The design of the exhibition is based on the central idea of movement and follows an integrated, dynamic design approach. The media stations are designed to feel as if they have arisen out of motion. Their organic roundness is derived from the heterogeneity of nature and reflects the underlying bionic theme.