timhunkin/unusual materials

engineer

tim .

. hunkin

cartoonist

UNUSUAL MATERIALS
Interactive exhibits for the Science Museum's Challenge of Materials gallery, 1997
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The exhibits in situ.
installed.jpg (6055 bytes)

The brief was originally for exhibits related to 'new' materials but I persuaded the museum that including old fashioned materials would make a better exhibit. The materials I chose were:

PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS
SILICON SEMICONDUCTORS
RARE EARTH MAGNETS
LIQUID CRYSTALS
LIGHT EMITTING MATERIALS
MAGNETIC LIQUIDS
METAL JUNCTIONS

RARE EARTH MAGNETS Barbie, suspended by magnetism. A handle allows the visitor to pull her away from the magnet a bit, but not enough to fall.		PIEZOELECTRIC CRYSTALS A gas lighter, quartz watch crystal, and an ultrasonic humidifier (which makes a fog in the tank on the left - though it turned out to be too unreliable)

SILICON SEMICONDUCTORS
A CMOS camera chip with a lens hanging in front of the case. Hold the lens to the chip and see an image of your face on the screen.
silicon.jpg (5167 bytes)

LIGHT EMITTING MATERIALS
light emission.jpg (8939 bytes)
A rainbow collection of LEDs, phosphors and electroluminescent plates.

Secret Life of the Home interactive exhibits
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