Discovery Energy

Discovery Energy

Home
Project Case Studies
Volunteer Work

Discovery: Energy

For this project, we were tasked with designing and building a series of exhibits based on provided visual representations and functional descriptions. My primary focus was on overall project management and electronics integration. I collaborated with team members to create a project schedule, which I then translated into a Gantt chart.

From there, I ensured that everyone was informed about their tasks and timelines. I also contributed to the build process, with the Energy Portfolio being one of my favorite exhibits. My role primarily involved ensuring that team members had the resources they needed to continue their work, and I assisted in the build process for most of the exhibits.

Reactive Wall Proof of concept.
Slot car speed testing.
Reactive Wall ultrasonic sensor testing.

I traveled to the museum ahead of the installation to receive the exhibit deliveries and help with the final installation and testing. Unfortunately, due to an incident with the shipping company arranged by the client, some exhibits were heavily water-damaged. In order to meet the opening deadline, I was immediately tasked with temporary replacement of the damaged PCBs and IO devices, using locally sourced parts and expedited shipping to meet the opening deadline.

Emergency Repairs

IO board to turn on and off power to lights and devices as input connections are made on the top of the table.
Board to trigger power to groups of fans based on inputs from touch sensors.
Board to trigger power to groups of fans based on inputs from touch sensors.
Controller to interpret multiple ultrasonic distance sensors over UART as input to trigger Reactive Wall animations.

This period was extremely stressful for my team, but I am proud of the emergency repairs we managed to complete. The temporary electronic fixes, made with development boards and parts from hardware stores, functioned as intended and were hidden from view.

Overall, this project was both fun and challenging. I gained new skills and thoroughly enjoyed working on a project that would be appreciated by a wide audience.