STEM Exhibits in Action: Three Hands-On Examples from Zichuan

Press a button and a rotor turns. Try a set of contacts and watch the light columns. Get on a bicycle and follow the illuminated display in front of you.

These three STEM exhibits were filmed at Zichuan Science Museum in China. Each asks visitors to do something different, but the starting point is the same: an action they can try and a result they can watch. The footage below shows those interactions as they happen, followed by a closer look at each station.

Watch the three exhibits in action

This 68-second video follows the button-operated motor, contact controls and interactive bicycles. English narration and captions identify what to watch.

Filmed in Zichuan, China. Duration: 1 minute 8 seconds.

1. A motor you can watch turning

At the generator-and-motor station, a transparent enclosure gives a clear view of the apparatus. The red and blue poles are marked N and S, with the rotor positioned between them. In the filmed demonstration, pressing the button starts the rotor turning.

For a visitor, this is a useful place to begin: first identify the moving part, then look at the parts around it. A facilitator can ask, “Which part turns, and which parts stay still?” before introducing the motor principle. The explanation has something visible to refer to.

The enclosure also matters when planning a gallery. Visitors need to see the movement from their operating position, while the moving components remain separated from their hands. Before approving a similar exhibit, check the view at different eye levels and under the proposed lighting. Reflections that seem minor in a workshop can obscure a small moving part in a darker gallery.

2. Contacts below, light columns above

The next station, labelled “Conductivity Challenge” in Chinese, places a row of contact controls beneath seven vertical light columns. In the video, a visitor uses the contacts and the columns illuminate. The controls and the display can be seen together, making it easy to follow where the visitor is touching and where the response appears.

A simple prompt is enough to start an observation: “Which column responds when you use this contact?” From there, visitors can try another contact and compare what they see. The exhibit gives a group something specific to discuss rather than asking them to interpret a diagram on its own.

When specifying a display like this, decide exactly what the lights should communicate. An illuminated column may show a response without being a calibrated reading. If a lesson needs visitors to compare measured values, the scale, units and explanation need to support that task. Those details should be agreed during design, not left for the final graphic panel.

3. Pedaling in front of a shared display

The bicycle station changes the scale of the interaction. Three stationary bicycles face a wall of illuminated routes and landmark silhouettes. The film shows a rider pedaling while the wall display is lit. The wider photograph shows how the bicycles sit within the gallery.

Here, the visitor is using their legs rather than a small hand control. That changes the space the exhibit needs. Getting on, getting off and standing nearby to watch all need to be considered, as well as the position of the display. A floor plan should allow for those movements, not just the footprint of the bicycle frames.

For a new project, agree what pedaling is intended to demonstrate. A system designed to measure electrical output needs a different explanation from one that uses pedaling as an input to a visual sequence. The footage here shows the visitor interaction; it is not a measurement of power output.

What to check when choosing hands-on STEM exhibits

Seeing an exhibit in use answers questions that a product photograph cannot. For museums comparing interactive science exhibits, these three examples suggest a few practical checks:

• The first action: Can visitors identify where to press, touch or pedal without a staff demonstration?
• The view: Can they watch the result while operating the exhibit, including from the intended child or seated viewing positions?
• The explanation: Does the panel describe what the exhibit actually demonstrates, with a clear distinction between a visual effect and a measurement?
• Daily use: Is there room for accompanying visitors, and can staff reach the controls and equipment for cleaning and servicing?

These are useful questions to take into exhibit design and prototyping. Testing the control position, sightline and explanation together can reveal changes needed before the cabinet and graphics are finalized.

If you are planning a science gallery, contact Zoomking with your audience, available space and learning topic. We can use those details to discuss the type of interaction your exhibit needs.