by mert.altinoez -

Impulse #07: CoSA

Today, I visited the Centre of Science Activities (CoSA) in Graz. CoSA is an interactive science and technology center designed primarily for young people aged 12 and older. It features 13 themed areas where visitors can explore different scientific fields in a hands-on way. For example, the Science section allows visitors to experiment with scientific phenomena, while Vision focuses on future technologies. The space I want to talk about today, though, is Energy.

In Energy, visitors engage with topics like consumption and sustainability in a playful and interactive way. Using a special game token, they can navigate through seven different stations covering energy, mobility, smartphones, clothing, packaging, food, and leisure. Each station presents sustainability-related challenges, encouraging visitors to reflect on their actions, set priorities, and understand the broader impact of their choices. The exhibition also connects personal behavior to global issues, such as the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. One of the more engaging aspects is that visitors can compare their decisions with others and see who invests more „energy“ into sustainable living.

What I really liked about this space was the gamified experience. It’s not just about absorbing information but actively engaging with it. Visitors learn general concepts about sustainability while also getting a personalized sense of how eco-friendly their everyday choices are. Each station has a unique way of interacting based on its subtopic. For example, in the Energy section, visitors have to crank a handle to play a video and then plug a cable into a power socket to select an answer. In Mobility, visitors power up a screen by riding a stationary bike. The Smartphone station is a modular system where visitors can choose different phone components and see how sustainable their selections are. The Clothing section features various garments with different sustainability ratings, which visitors can scan to learn more about their environmental impact. Some sections were more interactive than others. The Packaging area, for instance, wasn’t as hands-on but had a visually impressive setup with a large screen and a shopping cart in front of it. The Food station was creative, using stove switches to turn on videos that played inside pots, though the placement of the screens required visitors to crouch down to see them properly. The Leisure station, on the other hand, was styled like an arcade machine featuring a game of Snake to illustrate its message.

This visit gave me some valuable takeaways that I hope to incorporate into my master’s project. My goal is to create an interactive experience that teaches people about digital sustainability, much like CoSA does. One key insight is that you shouldn’t expect too much from visitors. There should be no more than two to three interactions per station, and they must be intuitive and quick to engage with. People generally want to explore, try something out, and move on without too much effort or explanation. However, if the experience is immersive enough, they tend to stay longer. Another important consideration is creating an environment that helps visitors focus. Isolating them from external distractions could enhance immersion and engagement. Lastly, the setup should be as self-sufficient as possible. The interactive elements should work seamlessly without requiring constant supervision, explanation, or maintenance. These are crucial lessons that I plan to apply in my upcoming work. Overall, CoSA’s Energy exhibition was an inspiring example of how to make sustainability education both fun and impactful. I left with a lot of ideas and a renewed appreciation for well-designed interactive experiences.

CoSA Energy Space
Links

CoSA: https://www.museum-joanneum.at/cosa-graz

by dragana.maksimovic -

Impulse #3

CoSA – Center of Science Activities, Graz

Visiting CoSA was such a cool experience, I was planning to do it for a long time, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to somehow try to connect it to my research topic for my master thesis. The center is all about making science fun and hands-on, which got me thinking about how learning tools can be more engaging for kids, especially those with different needs.

CoSA has all kind of exhibits that approached different scientific topics, like math and physics. Instead of feeling like I was just passing through and absorbing information, I was actively involved in the learning process—solving puzzles, treating patients, building my own car… it felt more like a game than a lesson. All of this reminded me how important it is to make learning fun, rather than something stressful or overwhelming. This visit showed me that when learning is designed to be playful, it becomes more intuitive and natural for everyone.

I was really looking forward to checking out the AR exhibition, but unfortunately it was closed when I visited. I can only imagine how augmented reality could add another layer to these interactive experiences, and it made me think about the potential of digital tools in education.

I have to admit, I completely lost track of time while I was there. I felt like a kid again, excited to try everything. This made me realize how powerful interactive learning can be when it’s done right. It doesn’t just teach, it pulls you in, making you want to explore more. That’s exactly the kind of experience I want to create for my master thesis, learning that feels natural and fun.

What I Took Away From This Visit:

  • Multi-Sensory Learning Works
    CoSA does a great job of making science interactive by engaging different senses. This really connects to my research, especially for kids with autism.
  • Hands-On Learning is More Engaging
    Instead of just looking at information, visitors at CoSA get to experiment and explore. This made me think about how learning tools should focus more on interaction rather than passive learning.

My visit to CoSA really reinforced the idea that learning should be interactive, inclusive, and engaging. Seeing these concepts in action gave me a lot of ideas for my own research, and I hope to apply some of these insights to the educational tools I design in the future.

by lucas.nuss -

Impulse 02 // CoSA A(R)dventure

A(R)dventure – CoSA | CoSA – Center of Science Activities

For my second impusle blog post I decided to visit an exhibition at the CoSa Museum in Graz together with my fellow student Vinzenz. The A(R)dventure 3: Habitat Red 6. This installation combines augmented reality through Microsoft’s HoloLens with physical interactions, creating an experience that was not only fun & engaging, but also made me think about climate change and the future possibilities of AR technology in the field of interaction design.

The Visit

When I arrived, I was greeted by an enthusiastic member of the Project, who explained the concept thoroughly and helped me get started using the HoloLens. The adventure began as I followed H.I.G.G.S., a digital drone guide, through a fascinating time vortex that took me digitally through the lenses and physically by foot to a habitat on another planet in need of maintenance and care.
The first task was to manage the atmosphere control system. What made this interaction particularly interesting was the combination of physical valve controls with digital displays. As I turned the real knobs, I could see the atmospheric parameters changing on virtual graphs floating in front of my eyes. This immediate feedback loop between physical action and digital response created a natural and intuitive experience.

The next task took me to the power management system, where I found myself adjusting solar panels using a physical turning wheel. Through the HoloLens, I could see a window showing the actual panels moving outside the habitat, demonstrating how my actions directly affected the station’s power supply. This mix of tangible control and virtual feedback made adjusting something as small as a solar panel very important and interesting, and made me realise that solar power is very location dependent.
One of the less interactive tasks was plant pollination. Starting in a physical test chamber, I learned about the process on a small scale through an animation, before seeing it applied to a larger virtual plantation visible through digital windows. This move from small scale learning to larger scale implementation helped by first understanding the concept and then seeing it applied and its effects on the displayed plantation biosphere.
After pollination, the water filtration system needed some attention. Using a physical joystick, I operated a virtual crane to service the water purification system. Replacing an old filter with a new one. The amount of work required to have clean water was highlighted by this task, showing the importance of clean water, something we often take for granted on Earth.

Perhaps the most tactile experience was selecting materials for heat shield repairs. I was able to physically touch and examine different materials while receiving digital information about their properties and suitability for the repair job. This combination of sensory feedback and augmented information created a powerful learning experience about materials science.
The final task involved fine-tuning the habitat’s environmental controls using spring-loaded dials. As I adjusted humidity and other parameters, the digital graphs responded in real time and, importantly, these changes, like all other changes, persisted in the virtual environment, creating an immersive feeling that demonstrated the lasting impact of my actions.

Conclusion

The exhibition successfully communicated its underlying message about the Earth’s ecosystem without hitting you on the head, which is a difficult line to walk. By asking visitors to maintain artificial living conditions, it effectively illustrated the complexity of our planet’s natural systems, which we often take for granted. Each challenge in maintaining the habitat served as a reminder of the Earth’s perfectly balanced ecosystem. All in all, I found it a great experience and would advise anyone to try something similar if they have the opportunity.

Reflection

What struck me most about this experience was how it challenged my previous assumptions about calm technology. As someone researching this area for my Master’s thesis, I had initially leaned towards purely analogue solutions and viewed AR and VR as potentially intrusive technologies. However, Habitat Red 6 demonstrated that a thoughtful combination of physical and digital interactions can create experiences that are both engaging and intuitive. The digital layer added depth and dynamics to the physical interactions, while the tangible elements grounded the experience in reality. This hybrid approach retained the benefits of physical feedback, while using digital technology to provide additional context and visualisation that would not be possible with purely analogue interfaces.

This experience significantly influenced my perspective on interaction design. Instead of seeing analogue and digital as opposing approaches, I now see the potential in combining tangible objects with digital layers of information to create interfaces that offer the best of both worlds. This insight will definitely influence the direction of my Master’s research, opening up new possibilities for designing more intuitive and meaningful interactions.