Creating an Augmented-Reality App for the Museum of Discovery and Science

The Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, wanted to add something special to their exhibit on the endangered Florida panther—an interactive, smartphone-based augmented-reality scavenger hunt in which museum visitors would see moving images of panthers and learn fun facts about them on their phones at each stop.

Client Overview

The Museum of Discovery and Science seeks to connect people of all backgrounds to inspiring science through exhibits, educational programs, and events.

Client: Museum of Discovery and Science
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Industry: Culture and education
Daruma Tech Services: App design, development, and maintenance

Challenge

MODS has long recognized the power of apps to enhance the museum visitor experience. As part of its educational mission, MODS partnered with Daruma Tech on the MODS APP-titude program, in which high school students tour and learn about MODS exhibits, then learn from Daruma Tech team members how to build simple apps showcasing these exhibits. Daruma Tech built and continues to maintain the container app featuring these student projects. Now MODS wanted another asset added to the container app—an AR scavenger hunt to educate visitors about the endangered Florida panther.

Discovery

Building this site-specific app required close collaboration between Daruma Tech and MODS. MODS envisioned app users pointing their phones at selected images of panthers in the museum and seeing the images come to life on their screens—which meant the images and animation on the app had to match the images and activities depicted in the museum’s images.

Solution & Implementation

After visiting the Florida panther exhibit to better understand the visitor experience, Daruma Tech designed AR assets matching those in the exhibit and used strategically placed beacons in the exhibit to activate the hotspots as app users approach. By looking at the images through their phones, app users can see panthers leaping out from picture frames, waking up from a nap on a log, and more.