Museum Robot Exhibit

I was recently at the Indianapolis Children's Museum (https://www.childrensmuseum.org). It is like no other museum. You have to check it out. The good news is you don't need children to enter.

I grew up in Indiana and have fond memories of going to the top floor to the Science Exploration exhibit. Unfortunately all the cool physical science experiments which were there when I was a kid have been replaced with an Agriscience exhibit. I'm not taking away from the importance of Agriscience, and it makes sense that a museum in Indiana needs to highlight this critical area. I just wish it could live in harmony with the old science hands on area that I remember.

Ah-ha! Why did Dean Kamen choose robots when he wanted to inspire kids to pursue careers in science and technology? The reason was because robots cover everything. There are mechanical parts, electrical parts, pneumatic parts, and software. There are small robots for young kids and big robots for kids and adult mentors.

Wouldn't it be great if museums for kids across the country had exhibits about robots and all the cool stuff that they are made of? Of course it would. Now where are museums going to find these cool exhibits? If only there were amazing roboticists spread across the country and around the world.

Oh wait, that is exactly what FIRST Teams are. So let's build some partnerships. We can use our Summer Season and our Fall Season to develop small exhibits or kiosks suitable for placing in a nearby museum. Maybe the museum could set aside a room for the team to use as a workspace. On top of that Team Members could volunteer with the museum to host talks about how different parts of the robot work. Those talks would be great practice for Judges' Interviews at the next competition.

One of the great parts of the Indianapolis Children's Museum is their Dinosphere. In this area is the Paleo Lab (https://www.childrensmuseum.org/exhibits/dinosphere/paleo-lab) where real scientists work on fossils that have been shipped to the museum from dig sites. The scientists have a separate area to do their work with windows so kids and other museum guests can watch them work. There are some open windows with counters where kids and other guests can step up and ask about what they are working on and other things. 

It should be pretty easy for your local museum to clear out a storeroom for your team to work in and build out a similar window wall. The museum wins because, let's face it, robots are cool and can draw a crowd. Also they don't have to hire staff to explain how robots work. The guests win because they get to learn about robots which seem really advanced and which FIRST makes completely approachable. The team wins because they get donated workspace and get to practice talking about robots so they are better prepared for Judge's Interviews at competition.