Custom Made LED Tubing Provides Immersive & Multisensory Experience at Franklin Institute’s Space Exhibit
The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is a science museum and education center founded in 1824. Featuring hands-on exhibits, live science shows, and a planetarium, the museum’s mission is to inspire passion for learning about science and technology.
When the Franklin Institutelaunched its new $8.5 Million Wondrous Space exhibit in November 2023, its objective was to provide visitors with a journey through the cosmos. This goal was achieved by creating a two-story, 7,500-square-foot exhibit that provides an immersive and multisensory experience that excites patrons about space and science.
The first level of the exhibit engages guests in simulations and experiences that “transport” them into space, allowing them to control the forces of nature, traveling immeasurable distances across the universe, and witnessing awe-inspiring space phenomena. The upper level delves into space through the lens of creativity and innovation, providing a deeper understanding of the future of life and work in space.
NorthEast Plastics reached out to Busada to custom make and design the LED tubing for this exhibit. It features precision-bent LED tubing, tailored to the exhibit’s spatial and thematic specifications to demonstrate how sound travels through space. Busada worked with NorthEast Plastics to support the vision of this project.
What’s unique is that the tubing in this exhibit provides both a visual and auditory experience. The longer tubes (waves), emit deeper sounds while displaying beautiful colors. This was achieved using Busada’s Stratus-tubing line.
The Voice Wave exhibit seamlessly blends artistry and technology, inviting visitors to engage with sound in ways they never thought possible.
Part of the Microwave designed as seen below.
The entire Wondrous Space exhibit offers visitors an immersive experience that bridges art, technology, and imagination. This video captures the final installation as seen on-site in Philadelphia, celebrating the creative engineering behind the light that gives this exhibit its signature glow:
