Take a Look Behind the Scenes at the NIHF Museum

The inspiring exhibits at the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® Museum are always evolving. But have you ever wondered how new exhibits are developed each year?

Here is your glimpse behind the scenes – and a preview of new exhibits you can expect to see on your next visit to our museum, located just outside Washington, D.C.

Putting Innovation on Display

Since 1973, the National Inventors Hall of Fame has inducted world-changing inventors – and each new Inductee class brings new opportunities to tell inventors’ stories. While each exhibit is unique, they all have one thing in common: the goal of honoring great inventors, and sparking curiosity and creativity in every visitor.

To bring inventors’ stories to life, our nonprofit works with philanthropic partners who support our mission to recognize inventors, promote creativity, and advance the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, including making our museum exhibits possible. These partners include the United States Patent and Trademark Office, corporations associated with our Inductees, and other innovators and foundations dedicated to empowering the next generation of STEM leaders.

To create our exhibits, the National Inventors Hall of Fame team begins by brainstorming to develop new concepts that will inspire all our visitors. We work closely with our Inductees and sponsors to determine how best to bring these ideas to life.

To take our exhibits from concept to reality, our team writes and designs content intended to engage visitors of all ages. Then we build and install everything we need to display each element of our exhibits, from banners to interactive games to artifacts.

Our exhibits feature artifacts, such as working prototypes, to give visitors an authentic glimpse into the process of invention. Considering these artifacts can range in size from small patent models to large agricultural machinery, our team works carefully to make the most efficient and impactful use of our museum space.

By choosing the right dimensions, materials, words and images, we create immersive exhibits that fill each corner of the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum with new opportunities to explore the importance of ingenuity, innovation and intellectual property protection.

Sharing New Exhibits for 2024

Wondering what our museum has in store for 2024? Here are just a few of the exhibits you can explore when you visit this year.

The 2024 Class of Inductees exhibit will introduce you to 15 inventors who have made an enduring impact in science and technology, making our lives easier, healthier, safer and more fulfilling. From developing a cancer treatment to making advances in transportation to creating theatrical technologies and special effects, our 2024 Inductees have incredible stories to tell – and you can learn about each of them right now in our museum.

Check out our new Nomex^® Flight Suit exhibit to see a flight suit made with Nomex fiber, made possible by 2024 Inductee Alice Stoll. Stoll was a pioneer in aerospace medicine and a researcher at the Naval Air Development Center, and her groundbreaking work led to the use of fibers like Nomex to make fire-resistant clothing. Take a close look at the flight suit on display and thank Stoll for helping to keep people safe from thermal burns in the U.S. armed forces, fire departments and more.

You’ll be amazed when you visit the new HoloTile^™ floor exhibit! Co-created by 2024 Inductee and Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot, the HoloTile floor is the world's first and only multi-person, omni-directional, modular, expandable treadmill floor. With this new technology, any number of people can join in a shared virtual reality experience and walk any distance, in any direction, without ever walking off the floor’s surface. You’ll see both a prototype and a video, showing you how this awesome technology works and how it could revolutionize gaming, theater productions and more.

We Hope to See You Soon!

You’ll find infinite inspiration each time you tour our National Monument to Innovation^®. Start planning your next visit at invent.org.