Collaborative Post¦ Interested in the sound of brains grown in dishes to beat dementia, robotic-run farms and driverless cars being rolled out? Well, at London’s ExCel this weekend you can come face to face with the latest exciting scientific breakthroughs, research and technology! In a format suitable for the whole family, you can literally get hands on with science, talk to researchers and listen to experts speak about what’s up and coming in their field. There is something for everyone! If London doesn’t work for you, there’s also good news! You can also experience New Scientist Live online as it’s being streamed. Let’s take a look at some of the amazing things happening on 7th and 8th October 2023, which will surely have to be seen to be believed.
Highlights of New Scientist Live 2023
You can get a good feel of the weekend from New Scientist’s instagram. However, here are some of the highlights!
Mars by Luke Jerram
Having seen Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon and Gaia locally at Rochester Cathedral in the last few years, I am very excited about seeing this! The artwork measures a huge 7 metres in diameter. This 1:1 million-scale high resolution sculpture shows a satellite’s eye view of every valley, crater, volcano and mountain on the red planet.
SPOT the robotic dog
This agile mobile robot can explore the workplace, sensing and detecting and capturing data. SPOT can be used to explore areas that may be dangerous for humans. It is groundbreaking in terms of its autonomy as well as it’s customisability which makes it extremely useful to all kinds of industries.
Sight Restoring Micro-Robots
Micro-robots can help surgeons to perform cell transplants and re-engineer human sight! As someone who has worked in the optical industry and having learnt from others just how truly important sight is, I can really appreciate just how wonderful this would have been for some of my patients!
Fusion Energy’s Future
Fusion energy could be the answer to our energy woes as climate change becomes more of a problem. Perhaps the future lies in the designs of the world’s largest pulsed power driver!
Other Highlights Include:
- The VR being used to visualise new buildings that would innovatively respond to their local climate conditions
- The world’s most advanced electric racing car, Formula E Gen3. Try a test lap on the playseat simulator! Oh, and make sure you don’t miss the Recover-e, a full-size working race car made out of electronic waste .
- Medical Mavericks where you can get your hands on real medical equipment. Find out if your growth plates are still active and record and print an ECG directly from your heart!
- A VR rollercoaster ride!
Talks
There will be an array of experts in a number of scientific and mathematical fields, as well as some well-known TV presenters. They’ll be speaking about topics including mental health, climate change, AI, cosmology, robots and lab-grown meat. There’s definitely something for everyone! Make sure you check out the programme so you don’t miss out on what you would be most interested in.
As a parent of two young children, I’m pleased to see a couple of the ‘speaker’ events are designed for children. On Saturday morning there is a pantomime about a brave little neuron. On Sunday morning, there’s a story time with Maddie Moate from cBeebies’ “Maddie’s Do You Know?” It sounds like you can meet her afterwards, too!
Experiences
As I previously mentioned, there is a LOT to get hands on with and see! There is going to be so much to discover and interact with, as well as live demos to watch. Learn about the future of food and agriculture and the future of hospitals. Travel to space in the pop up planetarium. Wanted to learn more about the crafting of prehistoric tools and have a go at it? This is your opportunity! There is certainly enough to keep everyone of all ages entertained for hours.
I’m really looking forward to it and so intrigued by the conversations it’s going to elicit from my curious little ones!
Tickets
You can buy tickets for one day, both days or online on the New Scientist Live website. In addition to the weekend, Monday is Schools Day. If you homeschool, it would make an excellent day of varied and interactive learning.
After all, you never know what it might inspire your child to do in the future!
Disclosure: This article was written in collaboration with New Scientist Live.