Visit the Museum - Using a Robot!

In a headline straight out of the future (but today!): Will you help the Museum purchase a self-driving robot?

Let us explain why: 

The pandemic highlighted a challenge that had been lurking before the crisis, and will continue to trouble this public museum after COVID-19 finally fades away. What's the challenge? ACCESS. 

Accessibility means everything to the successful operation of a museum. It can be a tool of inclusion, or a barrier to attendance. When visitors do not have access, whether it's because of a pandemic, a handicap, lack of transportation, lack of time, distance, or other issues, that means that this museum cannot reach our community members.

There are a variety of ways to fix these issues - some are long-term structural goals; while others simply take a bit of Yankee ingenuity. How can we help people access upcoming, exciting exhibitions (which include Cape Porpoise archaeology  and "The Art of Mending" this summer) from their home? We hope you can help.

It's 2021 - perhaps it's no surprise that advances in technology allow for telepresence robots in public spaces. What if a robot could lead museum tours?

Would you help the Brick Store Museum become one of the first small museums in the nation to offer museum visits via robot? Telepresence visits to exhibitions and outdoor walking tours could be offered throughout the year to those who are homebound. It would expand the Museum's ability to reach new audiences while addressing a longtime issue of access for those who cannot physically step into the Museum.

You can read more about one museum's robot project in this New York Times article!

In the image above, this is the Double Robotics self-driving robot, which carries an iPad to allow for visitors to video-conference into the Museum from anywhere. The robot takes commands from the user on where to explore while inside the museum. The roboto enables visitors to feel more connected to their community by giving them a physical presence where they can’t be in person. This robot will be used by Museum staff to guide virtual school field trips and special virtual walking tours, too. Driving your own robot means visitors are free to roam around the Museum and focus on artifacts and art that are most meaningful to them, from anywhere in the world.

How much does this cost, you might ask? With an educational discount through the Museum's mission, the cost of a robot is $4,000 (with everything included). Will you help us get there?

[Photo courtesy Hastings Contemporary Gallery]