Fernbank presents ROBOTS
Robots are intriguing—from the way they move, to the way that they communicate.
In a new giant-screen film by National Geographic, engineers and researchers put their bots through a series of training tests and courses to improve their functionality and make them more human. Throughout the film, robotic teams aim to perfect hand gestures, balance and stability.
Brooke Runnette, president of National Geographic Studios, said in a statement, “ROBOTS will captivate on every level.”
She added, “Dazzling visuals and a tremendously entertaining story filled with real scientific adventure and technological innovation are all wrapped up in the eye-popping giant screen package.”
The IMAX film is showing at Fernbank Museum of Natural History through Oct. 29. In the film movie-goers are guided by host and narrator RoboThespian, an android voiced by actor and filmmaker Simon Pegg, who provides comic-relief of some robots’ biggest failures.
One segment of the film features a home-helper humanoid that struggles with picking up and placing bowls and plates in a drying rack and Robonaut, the first space robot handyman. Another portion of the movie shows a search-and-rescue robot that missteps on an uneven platform and collapses.
Director Mike Slee said the film will “really open people’s eyes and make them think about how amazing these machines are, how amazing human beings are and how complicated it is to make a machine that can do what we do.”
The film was produced by Jini Dürr to give audiences an inside look at humanoid robots,
“’Robots’ not only gives remarkable insight into what is currently going on in robotics labs around the world and the extraordinary leaps that have been made in the field but also highlights the complexities of human ability,” said Dürr in a statement.
The 2-D 40-minute film also explores the latest artificial intelligence, machine learning, humanoid cognition and human-robot interaction, as well as developments in cloud robotics.
Tickets to the IMAX Theatre at Fernbank Museum are $13 for adults, $12 for seniors, $11 for children ages 12 and younger, and $8 for museum members.
Guests will be able to investigate the wonders of human and artificial intelligence through activities, including live action robot demonstrations, building mini robots to take home, touching real human and animal brains, collecting robot trading cards and by exploring Fernbank’s latest exhibition, Brain: The Inside Story!
