Responsive Spaces' Interactive Exhibit: Baseball Experience - PitchAward-Winning Design Merges Playfulness of Baseball with American Pop Culture
Responsive Spaces, a renowned design team, has created an interactive exhibit that merges the playfulness of baseball with its importance in American pop culture. The exhibit, "Baseball Experience - Pitch," is a testament to the team's innovative approach to design and technology. This article delves into the inspiration, unique properties, and realization technology of this award-winning design.
The inspiration for "Baseball Experience - Pitch" was to create a game about a game itself, capturing the magical fascination of baseball and its cultural significance. The exhibit needed to encapsulate the cult of Yogi Berra, a behemoth of baseball history known for his memorable quotes, success, and influence on sports culture.
The exhibit stands out for its unique properties. It was designed to be an easy-to-engage, interactive installation that presents the physics of baseball to all visitors. It is convenient for indoor use while delivering ball whirling action, without marginalizing the myth of baseball and Yogi Berra.
The realization technology of the exhibit is impressive. It utilizes a laser range sensor to track the incoming balls' impact location on the screen, while a radar speed sensor measures its impact speed. This data is processed in real time into the game logic and drives the game mechanics, providing an immersive experience for the visitors.
The design specifications include a 3x2 seamless Displays matrix in a rig with a secure glass front to take hits from the baseballs. A LMS laser ranger from Sick tracks the balls' position, and a radar gun from Stalker Technology measures the balls' speed. All of this is interconnected via a specific hardware setup, and the incoming data is processed in real time through an application.
The exhibit works by allowing visitors to throw a soft baseball towards the animated Pitcher on the display-wall. When the ball hits the glass, its digital twin is transferred into the game and continues its original trajectory in slow-mo while the batter tries to hit it. If the batter is struck out, visitors are rewarded with legendary quotes from Yogi.
The installation went live in June 2018 and is still part of the exhibition at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls, NJ, United States. It was awarded Silver in A' Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design Award in 2020, a testament to its outstanding expertise and innovation.
Project Details and Credits
Project Designers: Responsive Spaces
Image Credits: photos & video: Eyup Kuş
photos: Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center
Project Team Members: Director: Markus Pargfrieder
Interaction Designer & Developer: Martin Zeplichal
Interface Engineer & Developer: Julian Reil
Illustrator: Markus Wagner
Project Name: Pitch
Project Client: Responsive Spaces