Bringing Human Interaction to Modern Museums 

Years ago, ‘interactive’ technology in museums typically referred to colorful buttons that, when pressed, played an audio recording. The button may trigger a lion’s roar or a narrator contextualizing a diorama scene. 

Today, museum technology goes far beyond button interactions. In museums across the U.S., McCann Systems has designed and installed entirely unique and interactive audiovisual systems. 

From the Bruins Heritage Hall in Boston to the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum in St. Louis, we’ve helped museums of all kinds attract new generations of visitors and create truly unforgettable experiences. 

In the age of AI, smart sensors, and even transparent displays, discover what’s possible with interactive AV. 

SEE ALSO: Engaging Audiences with Digital Art Installations 

Transparent OLED Touchscreens 

In a town that takes its sports history very seriously, we knew we had to create something extra special for the Boston Bruins Heritage Hall. This museum wouldn’t just be a collection of memorabilia. With McCann’s help, interactive technology invites guests to step into the Bruins’ history and become a part of it. 

On artifact cases, we installed transparent OLED touchscreens that share historical facts and details like floating text boxes. Elsewhere, visitors can virtually ‘try on’ historical Bruins jerseys. As people gaze at their reflections on the video display, they’ll tap and select jerseys to wear with help from augmented reality and AI-enhanced cameras. 

“Be the Broadcaster” Experience 

Another new feature of the Bruins Heritage Hall is the NESN Broadcast Booth, allowing fans to “be the broadcaster” and step behind the camera and microphone. This interactive setup lets guests record their own play-by-play commentary through integrated cameras, teleprompters, displays, and microphones.

Gesture Recognition 

While the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum in St. Louis has an entirely different tone, we still set out to create an impactful, immersive learning experience for visitors. 

Of the audio-video features we installed, standouts include interactive touchscreens with gesture recognition technology. Through intuitive hand gestures, guests can access testimonials, in-depth information, and historic documents. 

Infrared Multi-Touch Screen  

Under Armour, the iconic American sports brand, was looking for a larger-than-life way to tell its story and interact with visitors in its new flagship store. So, at the new Flagship Brand House in Baltimore, we installed a 16-foot-long, ultra-thin LED display with 32-point infrared (IR) touch capabilities for the “Make You Famous” wall. 

What’s significant about IR? Legacy touchscreens often used optical imaging to locate touch positions. While optical imaging supports multi-touch functions, it can be easily tampered with by ambient light.

IR touchscreens are vastly superior, thanks to its ability to detect any object, whether it’s gloved fingers, styluses, or other opaque objects. IR screens respond much more intuitively, and because they do not require pressure-sensitive layers, are much more durable and scratch-resistant. 

Under Armour’s “Make You Famous” IR-touch screen utilizes the T1V ThinkHub software to toggle between video content, interactive touch functionalities, and collaboration tools. Guests can explore professional athletes’ stories, game highlights, online product reviews, marketing campaigns, and social media mentions—all on one display. 

Personalized Audio-Video Souvenirs 

At the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Upstate New York, we took on an entirely different approach to interactive AV. Also known as the “Woodstock Museum,” we leveraged audio-video technology to pay homage to the iconic 1960s music festival. 

In one exhibit, guests can take their own Woodstock photo and use an integrated microphone to add their own audio message. The photo and message are stored in the museum archive, and can be pulled up again years in the future, creating a unique, personalized time capsule. 

Reimagine Your Museum or Commercial Space with McCann 

Are you ready to create interactive experiences for your visitors? Partner with McCann Systems today to design a custom solution today.