The Royal Observatory, Greenwich

This interactive exhibit brings to life the work of one of the most important figures in the history of measured time — watchmaker John Harrison. HMC Interactive and Newangle crafted a software system and interface to recreate the desk of Harrison who invented the first accurate ocean-going chronometers allowing measurement of longitude at sea.

Harrison's Desk

Standing at Harrison’s desk, the visitor uses a touch-table to call up documents, move back and forth and highlight bits they are interested in. This state-of-the-art application of technology gives the visitor a taste of the thrill that Harrison himself felt while doing his ground-breaking research back in the 1700s.

The interactive exhibit, situated among his original clocks, includes a portrait of Harrison with the documents he worked on and even a lifelike recreation of his workbench. Developing the theme of time, the entire desk “ages” while the user navigates his or her way through the story. The colours fade, a candle burns down and wax drips onto the desktop. A spider edges across the desktop, a timely reminder that Harrison was afraid of creepy-crawlies.

Rising to the challenge

HMC’s challenge was to program exciting navigation through a mass of important documents in a way that pulls the visitor in and has them thirsty for more. Using two sets of two touch-screen membranes embedded in the tabletop we created a system that allows the visitor to practically feel their way through the paperwork on the great inventor’s desk. Lifelike sounds add reality to the experience of dragging objects and papers across the table.

The visual experience is projected onto the touch-screen from above with the source positioned to ensure the shadow of the operator’s hand falls directly below it and cannot be seen. It is a great addition to the observatory’s Time and Space gallery.

Exhibition design: Casson Mann Design & production: Newangle Software programming: HMC Interactive