Harper Irwin

Our second museum visit was to the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. Which I had been super excited to see. Before the museum visit I did research online through google reviews and social media and was immediately drawn to all the technology exhibitions and activities available. Especially the robots and the quantum computing exhibition because these areas closely related to my degree: Bachelor of Computer Science. This museum blew away my expectations, I was expecting maybe a single robot and a small section on quantum computing but instead there were many different technology-focused exhibits. There was multiple robots, one super memorable displays was the hyper-realistic baby, It was slightly unsettling because of how lifelike it appeared, but at the same time it was incredibly impressive and demonstrated how advanced robotics has become, there was also interactive animatronic dogs and sheep which reacted to touch and patting which was super impressive showing how technology can be used to simulate emotion and interaction. In addition to this there was 2 additional technology-focused exhibitions which focused on technology and the human experience. The first exhibition showcased the correlation and relationship between age with vision and hearing through video-games which was really cool because it made it easy to understand how ageing can affect everyday activities through a fun-immersive video game experience. Another exhibition showcased quantum computing which exhibition introduced visitors to the basics of quantum computing and explained how computers use logic and pattern recognition to solve problems. This helped reinforce concepts I had encountered in my studies in a more visual and hands-on way. Overall, this museum visit was fascinating, enjoyable, and directly relevant to my field. It not only strengthened my understanding of robotics and quantum computing but also showed how science museums can make complex concepts accessible to the public.