What we do



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Image of large Live!Label

Live!Labels

Live!Labels is the result of a collaboration between Xor Systems, the Museum Studies Department at the University of Leicester and mwr (now known as Simulacra). It is a device aimed at museums, to provide them with a simple system to talk directly to their visitors. It is simply a small LCD panel, mounted in an attractive and unobstrutive housing, coupled to a central server using a wireless network. The staff of the museum or visitors centre can display any text or image required, loading the content quickly and easily to the device.

The aim of the device is to provide an interaction between the institution and the visitors. Most labels mounted next to exhibits in a museum are static and unchanging. Live!Label is intended to provide a label that changes easily and quickly. It can be used in the same way as the standard label - to simply provide concise and precise information about the exhibit. It is far more exciting when it is used as a quick and easy way to provide informed and entertaining information, which can be changed rapidly. For example, if you are expecting a school visit for Key Stage 2, then a set of prepared labels can be rapidly loaded - and then replaced in the afternoon, for the Pensioners' Afternoon.

The point here is to allow a museum to speak with a very clear and very personal voice.

The images on this page show Live!Label units in use during a trial at Leicester's New Walk Museum.

Hardware

Live!Label is powered by a 12V supply. It communicates over a standard wireless network.

Content
The material displayed on the screen is generated on a server machine. Specially written software is used to layout the label, using images or text. The software allows you to view the label on a simulation of the Live!Label, so that the content can be checked before putting it on the label.

Server
The server is linked to each of the labels using the wireless network. It can be linked externally over the Internet, to allow control of the server from another location.

Network
We use wireless neworking to create the links between the server and the Live!Labels. This can be problematic inside a building - in this case, we use Wireless Access Points (WAPs) to extend the range and spread the wireless signal.

Screen
The screen is either 6.4" or 10" LCD panel, with a resolution of 640 pixels across and 480 pixels down. It has full 8-bits colour capability.