Q?rius

Q?rius is an interactive science-based center at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, where visitors can interact with artifacts, staff, and scientists in meaningful and inspiring ways.

Potion, in collaboration with exhibit designers C&G Partners and developers Major Robot, created an experience that makes science accessible and tangible to museum-goers in a 15-minute visit. The ability to meet the unexpected needs of future research and adapt to the ever-changing face of modern science led us to create a digital set of tools, flexible and reconfigurable enough to tackle any scientific question or discipline.

At Q?rius, visitors handle real artifacts, explore the NMNH’s vast collections, and curate their own collection of specimens through a Field Book, accessible both on-site and online. Conceptually, we drew from a distilled model of science to simulate an experience that would lead visitors through the process of science and hopefully to a better appreciation of what scientific research, in earnest, entails.