There have been some considerable leaps and bounds in the worlds of science and industry over the last few years and to be fair to my young self, robots are getting pretty impressive nowadays. Although thankfully not as impressive as The Terminator.
Hoping to showcase these advances with a host of events and exhibitions, as well as spark your imagination is the Museum of Science and Industry in 2018. Here’s what they’ve got planned:
January
Their blockbuster Robots exhibition continues right until the 15th April, featuring more than 100 robots illustrating the key moments in humans’ 500-year quest to recreate ourselves in mechanical form. Find out when we first started building humanoid robots and what the future might look like – plus make friends with a few of our interactive exhibits.
In addition, a special Robots In Conversation event on Tuesday 23rd January will take the robot debate one step further, with Prof Danielle George and Dr Ben Garrod discussing the rapid development of robots in recent history and whether they could one day threaten the survival of the human race.
Returning in January will be Pi: Platform for Investigation, a jam-packed series of hands-on sessions featuring the latest cutting-edge research. Topics at this monthly event include robotics, landmine detection, and the effect of salt marshes on climate change, all hosted by real-life scientists.
February
February sees the cyber security clock ticking with Project Doomsday, a fun filled interactive show where the audience react in real time to an intelligence briefing by expert scientists and performers. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Doomsday Clock has struck midnight, and audiences have 60 minutes to make do-or-die decisions and avert global catastrophe.
March
In March, visitors will have the opportunity to see the Soyuz TMA-19M capsule that brought astronaut Tim Peake back to Earth following his stint as the first British ESA astronaut on board the International Space Station. Not only can you view this historic object in the museum, their VR experience will allow visitors to experience piloting a Soyuz capsule back to Earth.
The arrival of the Soyuz is part of a national tour sponsored by Samsung. It is also the inspiration for a space-themed Late event on Wednesday 14th March as part of the BBC Civilisations festival – expect plenty of mind-blowing science and unusual activities.
Finally, the museum will be marking International Women’s Day (Thursday 8th March) with another special In Conversation event.
June
June sees the museum celebrating the Baby computer’s 70th birthday. The world’s only replica of the first-ever stored programme computer, the Baby illustrates the incredible advances made in computing in less than three quarters of a century – all thanks to work done in Manchester. The celebrations will include a one-off Manchester Lecture, as well as a specially-themed Pi: Platform for Investigation.
August
Everyone’s favourite retro gaming festival, Power Up will return in August with fun for all the family spanning for years of games and consoles.
October
October features one of the absolute highlights of Manchester’s year – the Manchester Science Festival, the most bold, creative and ambitious science festival in the UK. The largest science festival in the country, Manchester Science Festival puts science at the heart of culture, and this year will be headlined by an exciting programme of events including the major exhibition Electricity: The Spark of Life.
Details and booking information for all events will be available on their website in the New Year.
