Exhibit: Worm Gene Switching Simulation
Venue: Boston Science Centre
Location: Boston, Mass., USA
Date: Summer, 1999
Client: Exhibiteers
Contributors: Mystus(simulation concept, programming, graphics),
Exhibiteers (housing, coordination), Boston Science
Museum (housing design)
Client Requirements: To simulate the life cycle characteristics of different organisms.
Visitor Experience: The visitor selects the organism by it’s gene description and starts the simulation. Worms wriggle across the screen and naturally die off according to their inherent biological clock. Visitors easily understand the influence of different gene structures on an organism’s longevity.
Unique Features: Randomized, on the fly animation of the worms.
*Project Challenges: Hundreds of worms are wriggling randomly on the screen at the same time. Mystus created custom programs for creating the complex animations and presenting them.