Ice age mammals

Concept

Storyline

Visitors play the role of an archaeologist. To uncover more bones, they move the archaeologist figure across a physical map to new excavation sites. Once there, they examine the bones and collect clues to identify the mysterious animal they belonged to.

Exhibition Layout

The exhibition consists of a physical map on the left, the main section on the right, and a control panel. Visitors interact with the map, moving the archaeologist figure to different excavation sites. The control panel allows them to examine bones and collect clues, while the map lights up progressively as they uncover more areas.

User Flow

Each site follows the same flow: find a bone, complete a mini-game, then discover clues about the animal. Once all stages are finished, the mystery animal is revealed. Visitors can then choose a new animal to uncover.

Mechanics and Construction

Map

We created a multi-layered poplar wood map to give our map depth and realism. Then we drilled holes for each site, with Reed contacts placed beneath them to detect magnetic game pieces. To trigger the Reed contacts, we added a magnet at the bottom of our 3D printed archaeologist figure, ensuring it interacted with the map’s stations.

Control Panel

We designed a simple control panel in Autodesk, creating cutouts for five buttons mapped to W, A, S, D, and X, which were wired to an Arduino.

Visual Design

Projection

We carefully adjusted the projection to fit the map and its elements. With light and animation we tried to guide users by signaling where to interact and what to avoid for now.