For the exhibition at The Riverfront, Newport, for the international art project ‘Ghosts in Armour’ (www.ghostsinarmour.com) a virtual gallery and interface was needed for visitors bound to a wheelchair, as wheel-chair access to part of the gallery was not possible, as well as a method of viewing the exhibition via internet.
For the exhibition an interface was created that ran on a computer with a 19” touchscreen monitor, mounted on an arm that was freely adjustable in forward/backward tilt, height and forward shift. A map with selection hot spots could be clicked to bring up 360º views at various points in the gallery, which could be freely navigated in using dragging in the viewer using the touchscreen as well as zooming in/out.
The output was projected on a 3m x 2m screen a distance away forward of the computer terminal, to enable other visitors to see the users exploration.
The terminal proved great success and got great feedback from the pupils and carers of the National Star College – an organisation that for more then 40 years has “helped young disabled people discover their potential and prepare for the best that adult life can offer”.
National Star College student using the touchscreen terminal.
