On Tuesday, I took a trip down to the Science Centre for the newly opened iFuture exhibition, which showcases futuristic concepts and latest technologies from all over the world. While I’m no science buff, I thoroughly enjoyed myself having fun with cutting edge technologies.

iFuture is divided into 2 sections – the temporary iFuture exhibition at the Annexe, as well as the permanent (or at least, it will be around for the next 5 years) iSpace exhibition in the Physical Science Gallery.

iFuture showcases many forward thinking creations, such as the artworks found in the Mechanical Cabaret Theatre, created by a couple of British artists.

As you hit the red button, the little creations will be set in motion – the principles of mechanics are applied here to create artworks that can interact with its audience.

A little sample:

At the Infocomm Lab, you can dabble with various state of the art computer games, all of which are not available for sale in Singapore as yet. For example:
1)Advanced Movie Maker, a SIM City like software that allows you to create your own movies – you roleplay as a movie tycoon, and you can make stars and blockbusters out of your vast resources and imagination

Advanced Movie Maker: (from top to bottom) 1)Your very own virtual movie studio, 2)Changing an actor’s costume and 3)A short finished product

2)Pico Blocks, a software from Lego that allows once to create your own programs that react as they are told, such as the candle below, which can be lit up by switching the Pico program on and then is “extinguished” when you blow at it:

3)Hyperscore, a music composing software that is great fun even for those who don’t know music. The music scores are transformed from black and white notes into colorful displays, where you adjust your melodies by changing instruments and notes.

Hyperscore interface

Lastly, they have a software that allows you to create your own computer games. You can have tons of fun in the Lab playing around with these softwares, the most popular of which is the Movie Maker. Also, if you’re interested in learning much more, our lovely demonstrator informed me that they will be conducting workshops sometime in January where advanced features of the softwares will be covered.

Another interesting exhibit is Recollections, where you stand in front of a video camera which records your actions, which are then played out slow-mo in bright colors on the screen. I know I sure had fun continually waving my hands in front of the screen:

Recollections

And if you’re really a hands-on, legs-on type of person (or even if you’re not), the Segway is a must ride. The Segway was invented in 2001 by Dean Kamen, an inventor with more than 150 patents to his name. It is a self-balancing, two-wheeled scooter that is amazingly easy to ride. In fact, the venture capitalist behind Netscape and Amazon.com predicts that the Segway will be bigger than the Internet in time to come. Just by moving your body and the handles back, front, left or right, you can control the scooter to bring you wherever you desire. The Segway runs on rechargeable batteries, making it pretty environmentally friendly. I think it could be the bicycle of tomorrow. Riding the Segway is quite an indescribable experience. Suffice to say you should definitely head down and try it yourself:


Riding the Segway

And over at iSpace, you can get an idea of how technology changes life. The exhibition is divided into 3 sections – Inspiration, which talks about yesterday’s science fiction that inspired today’s technology, Horizons, which showcases technologies of the near future, and Imagination, where we can begin to think about what technology will be like many, many years from now… and how it will change our lives.

RFID Stations
Before you head anywhere though, be one of the first to come in touch with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, the barcode technology of tomorrow. When you begin the iFuture exhibition, you will be handed a card. This is an RFID tag, which is used for registration at one of the above stations, wher you enter your name, age and language preferences. With this information, as you move through the exhibitions’ various information stations, RFID technology is used to customize your learning experience in iSpace.

Welcome to iSpace!

There are lots of things to see in iSpace, which gives you a glimpse of what life could be like for us in future, such as this pair of Psychic Teddies; if you move the arms/head of one teddy, the other teddy’s will move as well. High tech toys of the future perhaps?


Psychic Teddies

And if you’re a big fan of koi but always forget to feed your fish, this virtual koi pond could be a piece in your garden a decade or two from now. This system has motion sensors that can detect your hands moving above the “water” and ripples will be created in sync with your movements!

Virtual Koi Pond

The most intriguing exhibit is, perhaps, the BioStool, which you can sit on to receive a simulated stool sample analysis. The BioStool is in anticipation that, in a couple of decades to come, our toilet bowls can analyze our er, waste matter to determine our health status and give us some friendly diet advice. :S

BioStool

On the whole, iFuture is great fun for all ages, whether or not you have a genuine interest in science. Anyone can enjoy interacting and entertaining themselves with all the exhibits on display. It certainly comes highly recommended!

iFuture is on at the Singapore Science Centre’s Annexe building, while iSpace is on at the Physical Science Gallery. Admission to iFuture costs $9 (including admission to the Science Centre).