A science museum is being built by the junior college where I work and is scheduled to open in 2-3 years. I got a peek at the plans for the displays, and about half the space is devoted to natural history, with smaller exhibits for chemistry, biology, and astronomy, and not a single technology exhibit planned! When I asked if room for a technology exhibit could be made, the answer was, “Maybe.” The exhibit could possibly be a permanent one or a rotating exhibit.
With the exception of the live animal displays, much of what’s being planned looks like static displays with text – lots to look at and read, not much to touch.
Something in my gut says that a robotics display would be very popular and highly educational, especially if it’s hands-on. The practical considerations are that thousands of elementary school-aged kids will be handling the stuff, so it would have to be robust enough to stand the abuse. Also, the museum staff would have to maintain it, so rebuilding robot mechanisms on a daily basis is not practical. On the other hand, they have to feed the animals, so something simple like recharging batteries should be easy enough.
If you were a visitor, what kinds of exhibits would you like to see? Do you have ideas on making them durable and practical for the masses? Ideas could include exhibits using Vex or something completely different.
I’m hoping to talk to the guy in charge at some point, but I want to have some reasonable prospects in hand before I approach him.
