Operating Instructions:
- The exhibit is permanently in working condition and ready for use at any time.
- If the ball is not already in one of the starting positions marked ‘X’ or ‘Y’, use tilting movements of the maze board—holding the frame by one of its sides—to move the ball to the designated starting point.
- Players can take turns or compete to see who can guide the ball from one side (house X or Y) to the opposite side (house Y or X).
- For added variety, you can set your own checkpoints and try to guide the ball there.
Interactivity:
This fun and engaging interactive exhibit is designed to test and train hand coordination and spatial perception on a tabletop. The visitor stands at the exhibit and manipulates a metal ball that moves freely within the maze’s pathways by tilting the platform. The goal is to guide the ball from a chosen starting point to a target location—usually from the edge to the center or vice versa. It’s a game of planning, coordination, and reaction.
Educational Value:
To operate many real-world devices, people use control elements that transfer their movements to another system—often through a medium like water, oil, or air. In this exhibit, changing the parameters of the playing system (the tilt of the platform) alters the position and direction of the moving object. It’s a classic combination: a fixed ball within a defined path and a variable inclined plane.
Who will find their way out of the confusing maze first?
