Osaka Science Museum is presenting a special exhibition showcasing handheld devices that were distributed to visitors at various pavilions during Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai. These devices played a crucial role in creating personalized exhibition experiences.
The "handheld devices" on display are equipment distributed to visitors at pavilions, carried throughout their viewing experience. They enhanced the exhibition by responding to location information, heart rate data, checkpoint touches, and directional targeting through audio narration, flashing lights, vibrations, or image displays. This enabled "personalized rich learning" tailored to individual visitors even in large-scale pavilion spaces welcoming thousands daily, representing a milestone in modern exhibition technology.
The exhibition features devices from 13 pavilions and zones, primarily from the museum's Expo legacy collection, supplemented by loaned materials. These items showcase various shapes and functions, offering a retrospective look at the innovative exhibition approaches pioneered by the Expo through rare physical artifacts.
Exhibition Highlights
▶ Direct Comparison of Devices from 13 Pavilions and Zones
Physical devices featuring creative innovations from each pavilion are displayed in cases. This marks the first opportunity to directly compare these devices, as they typically remained within their respective pavilions with completed experiences. Visitors can observe the designs based on each pavilion's mission, planning, and philosophy, while learning about their functions.
▶ Experience Records Revived Through Video
Alongside physical devices in display cases, videos from selected pavilions show the devices in use.
Exhibition Items
| Pavilion/Zone Name | Item Name |
|---|---|
| Future of Life | Smartphone Carrier |
| Osaka Healthcare Pavilion | Reborn Band, Touch Device |
| Osaka Healthcare Pavilion - Life Game REBORN in 2050 | Experience Controller (Case) (*) |
| Netherlands Pavilion | Orbs (*), Check-in mirror "CHARGE" |
| Canada Pavilion | Handheld AR Terminal (*) |
| Kansai Pavilion - Fukui Prefecture Zone | Flashlight-type Device |
| Kansai Pavilion - Tottori Prefecture Zone | Magnifying Glass-type Device Cover |
| Sumitomo Pavilion | Lantern |
| Electric Power Pavilion - Eggs of Possibility | Egg-shaped Device Shell (*) |
| Germany Pavilion | Circular, Touchpoint |
| Panasonic Group Pavilion "Land of Nomo" | "Land of Nomo" Crystal Device (*) |
| Better Co-Being | Mysterious Pebble echorb (*) |
| TECH WORLD Pavilion | Smart Bracelet |
(*) Items marked with an asterisk are samples loaned or provided by pavilion representatives, allowing visitors to experience weight, materials, and some operational features. Hands-on experiences are conducted irregularly under staff guidance.
Exhibition Overview
New Exhibition: "Partners in Expo Experience: Handheld Device Exhibition"
Period: February 18, 2026 (Wednesday) to April 12, 2026 (Sunday)
Hours: 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM (Exhibition hall entry until 4:30 PM)
Closed: Mondays (or following weekday if Monday is a holiday), March 3 (Tuesday)
Venue: Osaka Science Museum, Exhibition Hall 1st Floor
Admission: Included with exhibition hall admission
- Adults: ¥400
- Students (High School/University): ¥300
- Junior High School and younger: Free
Message from Curator
The hugely successful Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai has concluded. As its legacy, our museum has collected experience devices distributed to individual visitors.
The device mechanisms varied. Some read biological responses, others involved touching checkpoints, displaying images, accumulating experience data, and showing results, but all integrated with exhibition systems, playing the role of enabling visitors to move stories forward with their own hands. Without complex operations, everyone could intuitively enjoy "active experiences." This system catering to individuals aligns with the SDG principle behind the Expo: "leaving no one behind."
An episode of a child crying bitterly at parting with their device upon exit proves these became more than "mere tools" in a short time. Our collection and public display of these items provides a precious opportunity to recall the Expo's memories.
This operational system supporting individual experiences will mark a major turning point as museum and educational exhibitions shift "from one-way presentation to two-way dialogue." Through this exhibition, we hope you'll sense the Expo's excitement and the possibilities for next-generation communication it demonstrated.
Yoshiya Watanabe, Curator
Osaka Science Museum Access Information
Address: 4-2-1 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka City, 530-0005
Official Website: https://www.sci-museum.jp/
Phone: 06-6444-5656
Fax: 06-6444-5657
Nearest Stations:
- Osaka Metro Yotsubashi Line "Higobashi Station" Exit 3 - approximately 500 meters west
- Keihan Railway Nakanoshima Line "Watanabebashi Station" Exit 2 - approximately 400 meters southwest
- JR Osaka Loop Line "Fukushima Station," JR Tozai Line "Shin-Fukushima Station" Exit 2, Hanshin Main Line "Fukushima Station" Exit 3 - approximately 1,000 meters south
