Gantry Crane

 

Visitors use joystick controls to operate three axes of movement (up/down, left/right, forward/backward) in this eight-foot-high version of a working industrial crane. A fourth control allows visitors to work the electromagnet at the end of the suspended crane cable to lift and move objects. Visitors can work together or alone to coordinate the movement of the crane, shift cargo onto an eight-foot cutout of a container ship, or sort and stack items in any configuration they like.

 

This crane was done for W5 in Belfast, NI, and was modeled after the Giant Sampson and Goliath cranes at the Harland and Wolfe Shipyard adjacent to the museum. It is unique in that it looks and operates like a real crane. This one has been in service of over 16 years.