News

Estonian National Museum deploys informational signage with RFID tech

October 21, 2016

The Estonian National Museum has teamed with E Ink Holdings, an electronic ink technology company, to deploy digital signage displays in the museum. The displays are designed to interact with RFID tickets to provide information in the customer's language of choice, according to a press release.

When customers visit the museum, they will receive an RFID ticket that they can program with their language. When they approach a display, it will give them information in that language.

The museum purchased 600 of E Ink's 6.8-, 9.7- and 32-inch black-and-white displays. The 32-inch display will be used for wayfinding; the others will be used to describe particular exhibits.

"The new National Museum embodies the Estonian spirit and is a shrine for all people to learn about the country's rich, colorful and sometimes painful past," Kaarel Tarand, head of public and foreign relations at the Estonian National Museum, said in the release. "In seeking a partner that will help us promote a deeper understanding of Estonian culture, E Ink was a natural choice for us. Its displays not only complement the museum's aesthetics, but it also offer our visitors a personalized experience and allow us to go digital in a sustainable manner."

E Ink designed the displays in collaboration with 3-plus-1 Architects and Artec Design. The smaller displays are designed to be less than 2 millimeters thick and weigh less than 100 grams. They use power over Ethernet to reduce the number of cables required.

"This is one of the first large-scale commercial deployments of E Ink's signage in museums," Harit Doshi, head of signage business at E Ink, said in the release. "It is a testament to the unique value proposition of E Ink's display technology, which can enable digital updates without taking any focus away from the artwork."