Technopolis unveils ON/OFF exhibition: a dive into tech possibilities

Flemish minister Jo Brouns officially opened the new 'ON/OFF' exhibition at the Technopolis activity centre in Mechelen on Monday.The new exhibition focuses on the possibilities of technology and will be part of the permanent exhibition of the activity centre.

ON/OFF offers a series of interactive experiences for technology enthusiasts. With artificial intelligence, virtual reality, eye tracking, robotics and motion capture, it aims to offer children from the age of eight the opportunity to explore various technologies in an engaging way.

Each facility at ON/OFF invites visitors to try out a particular technology. From playing hide-and-seek behind an invisibility cloak to making crazy faces with a robot or changing shapes in front of an avatar mirror, these are just some of the ways Technopolis aims to bring new and established technologies to life.

Artificial intelligence

"ON/OFF is a great way to introduce children and their parents, grandparents... to new technologies and their applications," says Brouns. "For example, artificial intelligence can help us work faster and more efficiently, and we can use augmented reality to bring extinct animals back to life. On the other hand, we can use motion capture, the technique used in avatar mirrors, to map the movement of large flocks of birds. The possibilities are endless."

"AI can help us work faster and more efficiently, and we can use augmented reality to bring extinct animals back to life. (...) The possibilities are endless."

Funded by a one-off investment grant from the Flemish government, ON/OFF is part of an ambitious renewal plan to prepare Technopolis for the future. As ON/OFF is a permanent addition to Technopolis, the design took into account the fact that technologies evolve rapidly or find new applications. For example, the modular structure of the expo allows for individual installations and technologies to be replaced over time - in co-creation with the companies behind them.

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