Approaching a Black Hole

The Princeton Einstein Museum of Science didn't have a building yet. It needed something funders could hold in their hands that showed what a visit would feel like.

The challenge

Elizabeth Romanaux wanted a portable desktop exhibit about how black holes affect sound. It had to get the physics right and still make sense to someone picking it up for the first time.

The first designer she talked to told her it might not be possible.

What we built

A tabletop exhibit in two parts. We modified a spherical Bluetooth speaker to stand in as a physical model of the black hole, and built an iPad app with Unity and ARKit.

When the app opens, visitors scan the room and tap the black hole. From then on, the app tracks the distance between the iPad and the speaker, shows it in kilometers, and shifts the narration's pitch to match. Move the iPad closer and the audio slows down. Pull it away and it speeds back up.

That's the effect an observer would hear as someone else approaches a black hole, on a tabletop.

The result

The museum got a working prototype to put in front of potential funders, and a Nobel laureate signed off on the science.

We are trying to create a new museum. To give potential funders a sample of what the museum experience will be like, I needed a portable desktop exhibit about the effects of black holes on sound. The first designer I spoke with told me it might not be possible to build what I wanted, but Ben got it right away and delivered an inspired solution. He was responsive and helpful in figuring out what I needed. It works well and looks great, too.