Version 0.1
May 18, 2016
Nils PokelDigital Innovation Strategist Auckland Museum
Live Labels: e-Ink displays in a museum environment
Version 0.1
May 18, 2016
Nils PokelDigital Innovation Strategist Auckland Museum
Learnings from a technology pilot at Auckland Museum
@nilscreates @aucklandmuseum #MA16NZ
BACKGROUND: FUTURE MUSEUM
“Invest in the deployment of technical systems and digital technologies to transform the museum experience for visitors, and reach more people in new and innovative ways.”
BACKGROUND: DIGITAL CHANNEL STRATEGY
Digital Museum will be available in any place, on any device, at any time – enabling audiences to access content that has relevance and meaning to their lives
Universal Access
Digital Museum will be prepared for a dramatic increase in digital endpoints, within an environment of constrained resources. Content will be optimised for efficient delivery across multiple digital channels with as much reuse as possible
Sustainable Delivery
Digital Museum will progressively enrich and future-proof collections data against constant technological change and innovation
Digital Guardianship
Digital Museum will be ‘one’, and not ‘many’, collections and will adopt an ‘Open Data First’ approach
Open Collection
What Are E-Ink Displays?
• Paper-like appearance • Wireless & 3G / 4G connectivity • Always on: even without power supply • Relatively inert: no heat or light emission • Vandal proof • Suitable for interior and exterior
application • Flexible, screens can be bent
WHAT ARE E-INK DISPLAYS?
Features
E-INK IN RETAIL ENVIRONMENTS
Image source: http://www.chinaseniorsupplier.com/ Image source: http://the-digital-reader.com/
E-INK IN RETAIL ENVIRONMENTS
Image source: adventuretime gifs via GIPHY
WOW! (can we use this in the museum?)
Piloting The Technology
THE PILOT
How might we display digital information in a gallery without competing with the objects?
How might we support a COPE production workflow in a gallery space?
WHAT IS COPE?
➡ Separate content (creation) from the medium ➡ Create well structured, highly modular, and endpoint-
agnostic content ➡ Resulting in sustainable, future-proof content
Create Once, Publish Everywhere
Image source: Daniel Jacobson @ www.npr.org
THE PILOT
MuseumWIFI
Gather Content
A4 screens
A5 screens
HTML templatesx4
Visionect Server
dynamic data
internal networkopen web
API
config &monitor
render
e-ink network diagram
THE PILOT
LabelEnglish
QuoteEngl
LabelTongan
QuoteTongan
Objects
insete-ink labels
plinthlighting
display case & labels
THE PILOT
THE PILOT
Conclusion
CONCLUSION
So…
Image source: Henry the Worst via GIPHY
is it any good?
CONCLUSION
The system works. Beautifully.
CONCLUSION
Visitors do not realise they are looking at a screen.
CONCLUSION
The technology itself still has a few drawbacks:
1. low contrast 2. hi-res only in monochrome 3. ghosting issues 4. limited aspect ratios 5. cost
CONCLUSION
But we can already see these benefits:
1. Flexibility to update 2. Integrates with the digital
publishing workflow 3. Potential to streamline process 4. Scalability 5. Potential for more smarts
CONCLUSION
What’s next?
1. Connect to Collections Online 2. Multi-language labels 3. Social curation 4. High-rotation display cases 5. Emergency systems
CONCLUSION
Level 1
e-Ink displays
Thank You
@nilscreates @aucklandmuseum #MA16NZ
May 18, 2016
Nils PokelDigital Innovation Strategist Auckland Museum
Video source: Brad Carter via YouTube