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Mindball: From Prototype to Exhibit

Mindball® was a very popular exhibit for many years, but it didn’t function perfectly, the way it had been designed. Rather than writing off  Mindball®, the Workshop team was put to the task of reimagining the exhibit. They started by building a prototype. The headbands were replaced with something more durable. Three wood screws, serving as electrodes, were soldered to the original headband wires and built into a specially designed plastic holder. To ensure a good connection between skin and electrode, the contacts were spring loaded. The next step was the fabrication of two sturdy arches out of aluminum and the installation of the electrode holder. The finished prototype exhibit was tested on the floor for six months to evaluate its functionality and to collect feedback from visitors. Subsequently, the curator, designer and fabricator decided on the design, materials and fabrication elements for the redesign.

The first step of the redesign was to refurbish the table top. For that purpose, a Lexan® sheet was painted (on the back side), then fitted and glued to the existing wooden surface to improve durability and appearance. A new ball track cover had to be fabricated using Plexiglas® to match the new table top. The new electrode holders were fabricated from a sheet of blue polyethylene in a complex process that started with the designing of a pattern, followed by the routering of the polyethylene sheet and finished with the welding of the plastic pieces. The end product is an old exhibit with a new and shiny facelift, which not only looks good, but functions even better.

A special thanks to Alastair, a member of our knowledgeable and creative Workshop team, for his expertise.

Make sure you come visit and try out the new and improved Mindball® which is part of our BodyWorks Gallery!

   

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Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

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Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

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Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

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Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

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Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

About the sticker

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Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

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Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.

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Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.

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Time-Travel T-Rex

Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.