Blog 1 – The PufferSphere – Using 360° VR in Museums to Educate and Enthrall
The PufferSphere was designed by the company Pufferfish who reign from Scotland in early 2018. The PufferSphere is a unique spherical display system. It is powered by a single projector located within the sphere. The projector projects the image or video on the glass sphere covering all 360°. In addition to being a spinning, circular projection screen… the PufferSphere is designed to be touched, interacted with, and manipulated by museum visitors. Picture the PufferSphere as a giant marble that can project anything and everything on it. A marble that you can touch and change by the swipe of your hand. In addition, The PufferSphere UHD is an Ultra-High Definition internally projected spherical display system, incorporating cutting-edge laser projection technology and a robust 900mm acrylic screen. It can be combined with Pufferfish’s exclusive on-sphere touch technology or separate touchscreen interactivity. The PufferSphere products feature both inflatable screens (like its namesake pufferfish, which puffs itself up when in danger) or hardball screens and range in size from 600mm to 3.5m.
The Puffersphere is already being utilized in museums across the world. One example of this new piece of tech can be found at Lapworth Museum at the University of Birmingham.
“The PufferSphere at Lapworth Museum provided the canvas for the creation of an interactive globe through which visitors could browse data visualisations and animations pertaining to the evolution of the earth,” says Ben Allan, Sales and Marketing Manager who has led the projects. “As with Bundeskunsthalle, the content was designed to be viewed in conjunction with an interactive touch screen. The external touch screen facilitated deeper level information, a structured narrative and interactive controls.”
Information used from: https://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/features/puffersphere-using-360-vr-educate-enthral/
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