The pre- and post-tests and surveys revealed that children learned significantly more from the AI-enhanced intelligent science exhibit compared to the traditional exhibit while having just as much fun. Researchers also observed visitors interacting with the exhibit during regular hours. Elementary-school-aged children attending a summer camp interacted with either the intelligent or traditional exhibit and completed pre- and post-tests as well as surveys to gauge what they learned and how much they enjoyed the experiment. The team - Yannier, Ken Koedinger and Scott Hudson from CMU Kevin Crowley of the University of Pittsburgh and Youngwook Do of the Georgia Institute of Technology - tested their intelligent earthquake exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. NoRilla - a virtual gorilla - interacts with participants, taking them through different challenges and asking questions about why towers did or didn't fall along the way and helping them make scientific discoveries. Yannier led a team of researchers that built an AI-enhanced earthquake table outfitted with a camera, touchscreen, large display and an intelligent agent, NoRilla, that replaced the signs. Signs around the exhibit try to engage kids in thinking about science as they play, but it is not clear how well these work or how often they are even read. In a typical example, kids build towers and then watch them tumble on a shaking table. 'Having artificial intelligence and computer vision turned the play into learning,' said Nesra Yannier, HCII faculty member and head of the project, who called the results 'purposeful play.'Įarthquake tables are popular exhibits. When the researchers compared their intelligent exhibit to a traditional one, they found that the intelligent exhibit increased learning and the time spent at the exhibit. They used artificial intelligence (AI) to create a new genre of interactive, hands-on exhibits that includes a virtual assistant to interact with visitors. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) have demonstrated a more effective way to support learning and increase engagement. The exhibits invite children to explore scientific concepts in fun and playful ways.īut do kids actually learn from them? Ideally, museum staff, parents or caregivers are on hand to help guide the children through the exhibits and facilitate learning, but that is not always possible.

Hands-on exhibits are staples of science and children's museums around the world.

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