Andean Farmers predicting El Nino, Griffith Observatory Andean Farmers have predicted El Nino years since the 1500s just by looking at the “Seven Sisters” constellations (Pleiades, or M45). By looking at this constellation just before sunset at the right time of the year, when it is low on the horizon, and counting the number of visible stars, they predicted El Nino years: there is a correlation between the amount of humidity at a very high altitude and the effects that cause El Nino years. As the humidity goes up, the number of stars that are visible become less. We found the location where this technique is still used using a research article provided by the Observatory, and then used Google Earth to help us to recreate the terrain in a model. We used foam to create the basic shape, and the sculpted that to match the terrain. The foreground was turned into a just-ploughed potato field, and the background into the surrounding mountainscape. By gradually changing and shifting colors of the landscape in the distance, we created an illusion of size and depth. A manual plough in the foreground finishes the set. A semi-transparent mirror and some lighting is used to create the Pepper’s ghost solution together with a video screen, where actors point at the location of the Pleiades, which is highlighted using a second screen to the left of the model, and discuss a couple of different scenarios involving the view during an El Nino year, and one during a non-El Nino year.
Houston-based Landry’s, known for its chain of restaurants, also has this unique facility. This state-of-the-art aquarium educates guests about water and teh variety of life it supports with a series of dramatic tank displays and exhibits that portray wet or humid environments of the present, of history and of legend. They include an underwater ship made of oak, a jungle setting, a Louisiana swamp, an Inca temple and tomb and a Q & A with a live diver. Mad Systems provided audiovisual systems, a special communications system for the diver, a fog system and a smells system. Mad Systems also assisted Landry’s in planning and configuring the space to hold the various exhibits.
Several times a day in this presentation,the diver gets into the tank with a variety of other underwater dwellers, including a shark. A host uses a handheld wireless microphone to relay questions and answers back and forth from the audience to the diver. The diver uses a custom communication system, provided by Mad, that enables him to speak and hear clearly while underwater. An essential feature of the diverÕs communication system is the galvanically isolated interface, which provides full protection against his being harmed by electricity coming into contact with the water.
Special scents and smells waft through the various environments, courtesy of a smell system installed by Mad Systems. In the Louisiana swamp guests get a whiff of Jambalaya cooking; the temple smells of old stone; the ship of salt water and damp wood. The environments are further enhanced by randomizing audio systems, provided by Mad. Instead of running a loop, a computer selects randomly from hundreds of audio samples so that they blend into a soundscape that feels natural. This feature makes the environments more pleasant to visit and also a more pleasant place to work. Sensors installed at various points trigger additional sounds when a visitor gets near.
In 1752 the first Liberty Bell was cast to mark the 50th anniversary of Penn’s Charter of Privileges, arrived from England. The Liberty Bell, symbol of American freedom, is a Philadelphia treasure and Mad Systems is proud to have provided audiovisual systems for the Liberty Bell Center, which opened in 2003. The museum houses eight galleries of exhibits, interactive displays, videos, and art.
Based in Ogden, Utah, Flying J is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States growing at a significant rate. Flying J is a major national firm engaged in all facets of hospitality and other highway related products and services, in addition to the exploration, production, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products. The Portico Group in Seattle were commissioned to design and implement a corporate visitor center for the company’s headquarters. Mad Systems was called upon to provided the design and integration of the Audio-Visual system, Lighting and Interactive development.
Mad Systems designed, engineered and implemented a turn-key system that controls all the power, lighting, and audio-visual controls for the space, and allows Mad Systems to remotely diagnose, monitor and update the system using a secure link. This technology allows us to provide a level of service higher than would be possible even if we were located in the same town.
The mighty Enterprise Mill of Augusta, Georgia, revived after years of neglect, now houses the Augusta Canal Interpretive Center within the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area. Its exhibits and artifacts, on the ground floor of what is now a mixed-use building, depict canal construction and the mill life. Built in 1845, the Augusta Canal was one of the few successful industrial canals in the American South. In the 21st century, it is again a source of pride and potential for its community.
Mad Systems designed and installed a video theater and numerous exhibits for the Center. A periscope allows visitorsto look into the generator room. Intricate, handmade models portray a weaving studio and a milling workshop. An interactive map shows the canal’s busy past as a trading route and source of power. The Sculptoscope replicates a traditional flip-card viewer, and a touchscreen map helps guests plan the rest of their day in Augusta.
Visitors to the Interperative Center explore the generator room through this periscope connected to a video camera. The handle controls camera pan, tilt and zoom. The mechanism is very durable, right down to the custom-cut bushings. Pushing a button accesses an archive providing additional information on the various hot-spots in the room. What the periscope operator sees appears simultaneously on a video monitor for the benefit of other guests.
A detailed milling workshop model utilizesa real water wheel to generate electricity. The model was designed so that water is not actually required for its operation.
A special sound system, specified and installed by Mad Systems, contains thesound within the theater and preventsit leaking into the residential unitsabove. Mad Systems also suppliedand installed the screen, show control,acoustical design and lighting for thisvideo theater.
This interactive touchscreen map is a tourist information center. Guests to the Interpretive Center use it to learn about other attractions in the area and helpplan the rest of their visit to Augusta. Mad Systems provided the content as well as the system.
Kidspace is a new children’s museum in Southern California, geared to ages 3-14. Mad Systems designed, built and installed numerous interactives and accessories for Kidspace, including Bugsy’s Diner (a fast-food eatery for insects) and Sliding Plates and Earth Pulse (earthquake exhibits). Mad Systems also provided special effects, sound and lighting within the “Kaleidoscope” entryway. This exuberant entryway welcomes visitors with color, mirrors, lighting and sound that evoke the magic and wonder of a kaleidoscope.
The Mad Systems View-O-Matic uses video imagery to simulate the operation of a fanciful, vintage microscoope. Faux rivets and faux grease complete the look of a scientific instrument that looks like something out of a Jules Verne story.
A huge, upside-down bucket houses insects that fluoresce under ultraviolet lights. Kids wear these helmets with miners’ lights to be able to see the insects in normal lighting conditions. Iridescent insets in the helmets are picked up by the fluorescent lights for additional, playful effect.
This life-size replica of a cow at the South Dakota State Historical Society furnishes an educational experience about dairy farming. Guests find out what it’s like to milk a cow by hand, and test their speed against a milking machine.
Because the project called for precise and seamless integration of many different components, many elements of this exhibit were produced in-house. Mad Systems molded the udders, and designed and implemented the interactive technology, including audio and sensors.
Mad Systems’ role in this case also extended to creating and editing video animations: a sequence that adds the cow’s head to the body, and an intro to cow-milking methods. In order to provide the best possible visual experience, the markings on the cow are the same from one medium to another: the video, the animation and the physical replica. The transition from animation to video, of the cow in its stable, is seamless.
This museum is a project of the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation, in association with the Smithsonian Institution. Its mission is to preserve and foster public accessibility to the history associated with the Nevada Test Site and the nation’s nuclear weapons testing program. Mad Systems provided all audiovisual equipment for this museum, including a series of interactive touchscreens, the Ground Zero special effects theater and the introductory video triptych.
Interactive touchscreens provide additional information on exhibits.
This three-screen display immerses guests in the history of the atom bomb and the testing ground. The three video projectors are synchronized to deliver edge-butted images.
Mad Systems finds and implements solutions to meet a variety of challenges. One of these solutions is our proprietary fog system that is 100% water-based, non-clogging and safe for the environment. Above, it provides heavy mist for both cooling and theming in a Seaworld queue.
The Mad Systems no-clog fog nozzle is approximately one-tenth of an inch in diameter. Its fine mist leaves no residue or wetness on people, fabric or objects.
