In a ?250,000 project involving business partners and leading scientists from around the country – including the University of Birmingham – Thinktank is revamping its Futures gallery with new and unique exhibits that can’t be seen anywhere else. 

Nanotechnology

A new new exhibit, developed by Dr Mike Ward of the School of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham and Professor Deepak Uttamchandani of the University of Strathclyde, features the Thinktank logo on the side of a human hair.

eMo – the emotional robot

Specially developed Professor Noel Sharkey of Sheffield University, eMo – a fun robot head that demonstrates human expressions.  From joy to misery, eMo will interact with visitors to test their knowledge of emotion and to learn how to express its own emotions in a more recognisable way.

“We already attribute feelings to machines – we thump the computer in frustration or kick the car when it won’t start,” says Prof Sharkey. “It’s now time to exploit these feeling to develop machines of the future that can recognise and express human emotions.  Such machines may one day play an important role in our lives – actually responding to our moods.  For example, I can imagine that people would feel happier in a taxi of the future if it were driven by a robot with a colourful character rather than a faceless voice.” 

‘I spy with my little fly’

Anyone who has ever tried to swat a fly will appreciate their amazing speed and manoeuvrability – and be amazed that scientists can now create micro air vehicles (MAVs) with wings that can beat, sweep and rotate just like a fly.

Thinktank’s unique new exhibit ‘I spy with my little fly’ has been developed by scientists at Cranfield University.

MAVs were originally developed for the defence industry – tiny flying cameras for battlefield surveillance – but could be used by the police, by industry to inspect hazardous pipelines or other installations and by the film industry to provide ever-more incredible angles.

Lightweight Jaguar

On a larger scale, Thinktank business partner Jaguar Cars has developed a new exhibit with Alcan that will give visitors a hands-on demonstration of the incredible weight savings it has achieved on the new XJ model – whose all-aluminium body is pressed, built and painted at Castle Bromwich.

Work on installing the new exhibits in Thinktank’s Futures gallery will start on 8 September and will be complete by 25 October, ready for the autumn half-term holiday.  Thinktank will be open seven days a week as usual, but access to the Futures gallery will be restricted while work is in progress.

 

Thinktank, named Discovery Centre of the Year in the Good Britain Guide 2003, is the main visitor attraction at Millennium Point.  It has ten galleries on four floors – and more than 200 interactive exhibits. 

 

For more information visit www.thinktank.ac or call 0121 202 2222.