Ideum, an interactive design firm that focuses on installations for public spaces, announces the release of a revolutionary new touchless device. The Touchless Pedestal allows visitors to safely interact without touching a screen or any physical interface elements. This unique device includes a LeapMotion controller for interaction along with controlled LED lights and a small circular 3.4″ LCD display for onboarding and real-time feedback. The system’s software is provided by the Touchless Design initiative which Ideum launched earlier this year with partial funding from Intel as part of its Pandemic Response Technology Initiative.
Photo – Ideum archive ©
The Touchless Pedestal is the second touchless device Ideum has made available. Earlier this year, Ideum announced an add-on device that works with its popular Drafting II multitouch table. That device, along with Touchless Design software, won first prize in UltraLeap’s international Beyond Touchscreens competition. Ideum has been working on a series of touchless exhibits for museums, including a zero-touch wayfinding exhibit for the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which was announced in July 2020.
“The pandemic has created new obstacles. It is our job as designers, educators, and technologists to explore and develop new interactive paradigms. If people feel that touch isn’t safe, we can create touchless experiences for museums and other spaces that are intuitive and robust,” said Ideum founder Jim Spadaccini. “The challenges here are considerable, but so are the opportunities — not just for the current situation, but we can also shape the future of interaction and the design of public spaces.”
For the Touchless Pedestal, Ideum collaborated with Intervoke to create a new version of the Brain Odyssey exhibit the team first developed with the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium. The original touch version of this “fantastic journey” into the human brain is nominated for this year’s Digital Signage Expo’s APEX Awards in the Educational Environments category. Intervoke created the stunning interactive 3D medical animations at the heart of this immersive experience. This immersive exhibit is available for purchase from Ideum and Intervoke.
Touchless Design software is available now, and additional materials in the form of visitor evaluation and case studies will soon be available on the Touchless.Design website. The Touchless Pedestal is available for purchase directly from Ideum. The first units will ship in October.
