Thinktank, Birmingham
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Thinktank is a science museum in Birmingham, England. Opened in 2001, it has some exhibits from the, now closed, Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery Science Museum. It is part of the Millennium Point complex.
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[edit] Building
Thinktank has four floors of exhibits, although somewhat confusingly for visitors, the Millenium Point building has 3 'ground' floors (G2, G1, G0) as Millenium Point is built on a hill. Each floor has a theme, in general going from the past, in Thinkback (G2), through Thinkhere (G1) and Thinknow (G0), to the future, in the Thinkahead gallery (L1).
[edit] Galleries
[edit] Thinkahead
This gallery contains the Futures exhibition, dealing with future technology, innovation and space travel. The majority of the displays are screens, with a trackball to choose to play a video on a certain topic. [citation needed]
Topics include:
- Nanotechnology
- Emotive Robots
- Artificial Intelligence
- Growing organs
- Artificial heart - The Jarvik 2000
- Video Pills
- Silicon Gyroscope
- Micro Air Vehicles (MAV)
There is also a programmable drumming robot. Visitors can program the robot via a screen where they wave a drumstick, moving a corresponding drumstick on the screen around a graphic representation of the real-life drums. Once a sequence of 12 drum "hits" is entered, the instructions are sent to the robot, which plays the sequence. [citation needed]
The Future of Space section of the Futures gallery has various displays, including the International Space Station simulation, and the Mars Rover. [citation needed]
[edit] Thinknow
This gallery deals with current technology and scientific understanding, and how everyday life has been affected by scientific ideas and advances.
There are many galleries on this floor, including:
- Things about me
- Wildlife
- The Street
- Kid's City
- Medicine Matters
[edit] Things about me
This exhibition is aimed at younger children, helping them to understand how their own body works, and how to keep it working. It is a bright and noisy gallery. There are small characters called TAM's, who act as guides throughout the museum.
The section that is most popular in Things About Me is the small dance area where children are encouraged to exercise by doing various dance moves as instructed by a TAM.
[edit] Wildlife
This is a classic living history gallery, with stuffed and preserved animals. There is a collection of skeletons, skulls and fossils.
The main attractions in this gallery are the dinosaur crocodile, great deer skeleton, and triceratops skull fossil. The crocodile skeleton is mounted in the floor, with a glass cover allowing visitors to walk across the skeleton.
[edit] The Street
The Street is designed to show visitors how science affects their everyday life, and how objects they see around them work.
[edit] Kid's City
Kid's City is an exhibition that has been designed for small children, aged 7 and under. It is more of a play area than a traditional exhibition, but also contains a garden with water feature, a health centre, cafe, and garage.
[edit] Medicine Matters
Medicine Matters is an exhibition that contains displays of current medical practices, and the moral dilemmas that occur, while other exhibits cover DNA, epilepsy, genetics, vaccination and personal health.
A main section of this exhibition is the "virtual surgery" display, where 3 visitors can take part in a Birmingham Hip replacement surgery, as the surgeon, head nurse, or anaesthetist.
[edit] Thinkhere
[edit] City Stories
City Stories is a gallery looking at the development of Birmingham, from its medieval past, right up to present day. It looks at Birmingham in the Civil War, Industrial Revolution, World War II, and then a more recent history involving the Birmingham Bombings.
[edit] Legolab
Currently closed, due to re-open in October 2006. [citation needed]
[edit] Thinkback
[edit] Move It
Concentrating on Birmingham's transport history, Move It contains all of the vehicles on display in Thinktank.
Those vehicles being exhibited include the LMS Princess Coronation Class steam locomotive, 46235 City of Birmingham, Railton Mobil Special, a Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane hanging from the ceiling, and Birmingham Corporation Tramways tram 395. [citation needed]
A highlight of the gallery are a pair of Jaguar robots that display how they would spot-weld a Jaguar Car. [citation needed]
[edit] Power Up
This exhibition contains all the steam engines in Thinktank, the main one being the Smethwick Engine, the oldest working steam engine in the world. [citation needed] Built by the Boulton and Watt Company. There is a display further on in the exhibition explaining the history of Boulton and Watt, and how they developed their engines.
Other steam engines in this exhibition are those that have been used for pumping sewage, generating electricity, agricultural work and teaching.
There is also a display explaining how power is currently generated by a steam turbine.
[edit] Making Things
Making Things concentrates on the products that have been manufactured in Birmingham since the Middle Ages, until about 1950. There are various cabinets containing products that have been made in Birmingham. Also in the gallery is a small display with commentary from the point of view of people involved in the manufacturing industry throughout the ages.
[edit] Planetarium
The planetarium at Thinktank is the UK's first purpose-built digital planetarium. [citation needed]
The image of the night sky is projected onto a domed screen above viewers heads using 6 multimedia projectors, each connected to a PC. This means not only can a traditional planetarium show of the night sky be seen, but due to it essentially being 6 combined computer displays almost anything can be viewed on the planetarium dome.
[edit] Criticisms of the museum
The old Birmingham Museum and Art Galleries science museum was free to the public, something which was very popular. Thinktank is not associated with Birmingham Council, so charges an entry fee to visitors, to pay for their costs.
When the old science museum had to close, some of the exhibits were lent to the Think Tank Trust, for public viewing and to be maintained. Many visitors feel they are now paying to see something that should be free.[citation needed]
Also there are many complex exhibits at Thinktank, and because of constant use and inherent design flaws many can be broken for weeks and months on end. Many can be reset and working within minutes, if the problem is reported. Though it must be said that instructions for many exhbits are not read by visitors, so they do not understand how use to many exhbits, even if they are perfectly functional.[citation needed]
