Technology takes an iconic 1980s puzzle on a global tour to engage a new generation.
Download ProfileMaking a 40-year old icon relevant to a tech-savvy generation is no easy task, but the Liberty Science Center recognized that technology would be key. They wanted to use technology to explain the concept of the Rubik’s Cube and demonstrate its relevance to a wide variety of mathematical and scientific disciplines.
While Beyond Rubik’s Cube has strong educational importance for a younger generation, it also had to be cool, entertaining and engaging for a wider audience. Beyond Rubik’s Cube is about color, pattern, creativity, memory and dexterity — the exhibition had to feature all those elements. It had to have immediate impact with a WOW experience to set the tone for the exhibition.
Interactive elements had to be challenging but accessible — solving Rubik’s Cube demands concentration and skill. Technology would also be important in maintaining the continuity and quality of the exhibition once it hit the road for the seven-year world tour.
Kubik-Maltbie appointed Electrosonic to develop immersive interactive solutions for the exhibition. Projection mapping and motion sensing devices display complex real time fractal images at the entry point. Twenty custom tablets run interactive applications that can be configured for global languages and two multi-touch tables let individuals and groups design their own puzzles. A mobile control room coupled with remote monitoring and content updating provides global touring control.
Beyond Rubik’s Cube uses technology to engage and connect a new generation with an icon of the 1980s. It replicates the mental and physical challenges of the original puzzle in a series of interactive activities that demand the same levels of concentration and dexterity that attracted billions of users worldwide. The touring exhibition continues to wow audiences around the world on its seven-year journey.
It was big in the 1980s — Beyond Rubik’s Cube demonstrates it’s still a global attraction.
