Science Museum - The Book of Discoveries: In Association with The Science Museum

Product Information

Many choose to look upon its arrival with a sense of wonder; some experience only superstitious omens of science fiction’s doom. Others, perhaps more sensibly, see it mostly as an opportunity to read more books and discover new favourite authors! If material cannot be transported there, you may be able to consult it at the Library and Archives at the National Collections Centre. This will be assessed by our staff on a case-by-case basis, and where access is permitted, you will be offered a Friday visit providing that we have available space and that you agree to abide by our Covid-19 access arrangements. The exhibition is supported by MathWorks (Principle Sponsor) and Direct Line Group (Major Sponsor) and PwC (Major Sponsor) and Samsung Electronics UK (Technology Partner).

For decades, autonomous vehicles have been heralded as a new technology that could change the way we live our lives. Driverless: Who is in control? opening today at the Science Museum will explore how close we are to living in a world driven by thinking machines.Visitors will answer a distress call from an unexplored world and beam down to the planet in a dazzling blaze of light to investigate. As this unfamiliar and eery place is explored visitors will encounter an unusual lifeform that reacts to their presence and discover more about the planet in this captivating experience before returning to the spaceship to continue their adventure.

Access to most of our collections can be arranged through the Dana Research Centre and Library, in London. If material cannot be transported there, you may be able to consult it at the Library and Archives at the National Collections Centre. Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, said: ‘Science fiction invites us all to be explorers, venturing across time and space while reflecting on the deepest existential question there is – what makes us human? Our ambitious exhibition is unlike any other and I cannot wait for visitors to join us on this immersive and interactive journey through the extraordinary worlds of science fiction and scientific discovery.’

Michael Ellis, Future of Mobility Minister at Department for Transport, said, ‘Self-driving technologies have tremendous potential for road safety, mobility and the economy, and the Government is exploring these opportunities through its Future of Mobility Grand Challenge. It is great to see the Science Museum exploring this exciting innovation and its implications for future transport, and inspire the next generation of engineers.’ Atmosphere closed permanently on 20 March 2022—we will open a new gallery related to climate change in 2024. Gavin Fox, Creative Director at Framestore, said: 'Framestore have been taking people to fantastical worlds for many years and our dedicated immersive team’s work in theme parks and attractions has raised this to new levels. Working alongside P&P Projects, one of the foremost scenic design and build companies in the world, we’re delighted to take our immersive work to new heights, to outer space even, to bring this ambitious, innovative and exciting concept to life for the Science Museum.'

Sam Grant, Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics UK, said, ‘Artificial intelligence is already part of our day-to-day lives and, as a society, we are on the brink of realising its potential to make our lives easier. At Samsung we’re striving to shape this new era of connected living, where products and services seamlessly interact with one another. We are committed to the development of AI and we’ve opened AI research centres all over the world, including one here in the UK in Cambridge. We believe AI should provide a tangible benefit and meaningful value to the end user, so the Driverless: who is in control? exhibition at the Science Museum is a great opportunity for the public to explore the technology that will soon shape our world.’ The National Collections Centre is home to the Science Museum’s world-class Library and Archive collection of over half a million items. The exhibition also explores artificial intelligences we have engineered and imagined, from Maria in Metropolis and HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey to today’s companion robots. Are these artificial beings just reflections of ourselves and our fears, or could they ever be alive like us? To help answer these questions, visitors can examine how AI is already shaping our societies in unexpected ways such as through biases in programming which create discriminatory algorithms.Our picnic areas are free-flow and don't require pre-booking so there's no need to request a timeslot. From self-driving cars to autonomous flying drones and smart underwater vehicles like the Autosub Long Range fleet which includes ‘Boaty McBoatface’, the exhibition will explore how much of this seemingly futuristic technology already exists and extends far beyond the cars we’re familiar with, how much control we’re willing to transfer to them and how their wider deployment could shape our habits, behaviour and society. Visitors will have the chance to explore three distinctive zones in the exhibition, Land, Air and Water. Each section will explore the different technology solutions already operating in these environments, the motivations of their developers, and their potential to transform a range of activities and industries. Larger groups may need to split into subgroups if the chosen activities have limited capacity (e.g. a show or Wonderlab). Our online booking portal will do this for you and help you schedule activities for each subgroup. Normal postgraduate anxieties and the recent death of his father dredging up memories and feelings of his home in Alabama, a lifestyle and circumstances he is not eager to have to return to, Wallace is already conflicted about whether a PhD in biochemistry is really for him.

Please send your enquiries to [email protected] and we will respond within 20 working days. We also offer a free enquiry service to help you find out more about the items in the Science Museum Library and Archive Collections. Science museum group collection We recommend three or four different activities to vary the pace and tone of the visit. Don't try to do too much. Use our free activity trails and apps to give focus.Exhibition images are available at https://we.tl/t-b6uXTmGWb2 Notes to Editors About the Science Museum