Telepresence Arm
This is a big exhibit, but it flies delicately through the air as if gravity has no hold on it. The exhibit consists of a series of counter-weighted arms that are suspended from the ceiling and which hold a gimballed assembly at the end. Because the arms are perfectly counter-weighted at several joints, the whole assembly moves with a floating action as if it were in outer space. Visitors pilot the arm from a remote kiosk by looking through stereo goggles that display images from two tiny video cameras at the end of the arm. Visitors can remotely point the gimballed assembly in any direction and activate a powerful ducted fan that makes the gimballed assembly fly in the direction it is pointed. Except for that fan, the arm is entirely passive. The sensation for visitors looking through the stereo goggles is that their heads are virtually flying through space. Visitors can use the Telepresence Arm to inspect parts of the building, to look down on other visitors, or to look back at themselves.
 
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