NEW YORK -- Kids are the primary target for the free, two-floor Sony Wonder Technology Lab in Midtown Manhattan, which recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation. Yet adults can find plenty of answers in the hands-on exhibits to technology mysteries like what a pixel is, how a digital camera works and how to program a robot.
Visitors receive a small piece of technology to serve as an aid.
"You get a Sony FeliCa contactless card, which is an integrated circuit card that's used to power all of the exhibits," says Kelso. "And when you first get here, you type in your name, favorite color, favorite type of music and that information follows you from exhibit to exhibit."
he first half of the new part of this exhibit shows how the actual technology works.
"You start off learning about the history of electronics. How lots of
the modern devices you use everyday are able to do the things they do, including how sound is made and transmitted," says Kelso.
The second half shows how the technology's applied and used in the real world, including a hands-on exhibit on motion capture and computer animation.
"We have 14 new interactive exhibits [that show] what are pixels, what are packets, how is information transmitted, how is it received," says Karen Kelso of the Sony Wonder Technology Lab. "So there is a bit of the demystifying of the technology."
"You start off learning about the history of electronics. How lots of
the modern devices you use everyday are able to do the things they do, including how sound is made and transmitted," says Kelso.
The second half shows how the technology's applied and used in the real world, including a hands-on exhibit on motion capture and computer animation.
"We have a dance motion capture pod using markerless motion capture, where kids can choose a Sony-animated character and then dance and then the character will map out your dance moves onto itself," says Kelso. "We have an HDTV production studio, fully high-def. We also have an extensive animation area, an animation studio where kids can come and create a computer-generated environment.
"We also have a robotics area, a nanotechnology area, a virtual surgery exhibit where you can actually use haptics," continues Kelso. "That lets you feel as if you're using a scalpel or bone saw but uses a technology that lets you feel it without actually cutting into anything."
Although many of the exhibits are geared towards eight- to 14-year-olds, museum staff say the facility can also be a learning ground for soon-to-be high school graduates looking to explore a possible career in communications or technology.