Case Study: The Field Museum achieves an immersive T. rex exhibition with NEC Display Solutions

NEC displays help show the way to interactivity for The Field Museum’s maps exhibit

The Field Museum needed a way to make its world‑famous T. rex specimen "SUE" more engaging when it was moved into a smaller, intimate gallery. The museum partnered with integrator AVI Systems and selected NEC Display Solutions projectors — including NP‑PA653UL and NP‑PX1004UL‑WH laser models with NP40ZL/NP41ZL lenses and NaViSet management — to enable projection mapping and large-format imagery that would highlight real vs. replica bones and illustrate the animal’s behavior.

NEC Display Solutions supplied and networked 11 laser projectors to create a 5,100‑square‑foot, 20‑minute looped experience: six NP‑PA653UL units (with NP40ZL lenses) driving 6K content on six glass screens, three NP‑PX1004UL‑WH units for direct mapping on the fossil, plus two additional NP‑PA653ULs for captions. The installation opened December 21, 2018 and delivered measurable engagement — immersive projection mapping on the world’s most complete T. rex, strong visitor reactions (especially from children), and a program the museum now plans to replicate in future exhibitions.

The Field Museum

Todd Tubutis

Senior Project Manager for Exhibitions