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A morphing machine developed at Heriot-Watt is on display in the National Museum of Scotland. It is in the new Science and Technology galleries launched in July and will be on display in the museum for a minimum of six months.
For me, this project is all about creating that spark of interest that leads to new discoveries.
The morphing machine, which can change its own shape to perform a range of tasks, was developed by a team led by Dr Xianwen Kong, lecturer from the Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, with the support from the EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account.
Dr Kong's AIM (Adaptive Intelligent Motion) group has been working to develop such machines, where robots and manufacturing systems can adapt rapidly to changing demands by mechanically changing their shapes.
He said, "It is exciting to display the morphing machine in the National Museum of Scotland with 1.5 million visitors from around the world per year. It provides a great opportunity to promote the research of my group and the profile of the university and to engage with the public in such a special manner. Thanks to the museum for providing us with such a prime location for display.”
Dr Klaus Staubermann, Principal Curator of Technology from the National Museum of Scotland, said, “For me, this project is all about creating that spark of interest that leads to new discoveries. By putting these exhibits out for our visitors, we can inspire people to do incredible things in the future.”