"Thinking Robots and Meditating Humans" Meet at the Science Museum

Special Liberation Day Program at the National Science Museum

Featuring a Humanoid Robot Docent

How do humans think, and can robots think like humans? In celebration of Liberation Day, there will be a program that explores human “thought” through meditation and examines the ways in which humanoid robots and artificial intelligence (AI) process information.

The National Science Museum announced on August 10 that it will host a series of lectures and exhibition commentary programs linked to the special exhibition “Thinking or Calculating” from August 13 to 16.

Special Exhibition-Linked Guided Tour Program 'Is the Robot Thinking Too?' Provided by the National Science Museum

Launched on July 14, “Thinking or Calculating” is a special exhibition that explores the question “What is thought?” from the perspectives of science, art, and the humanities—ranging from the Gilt-bronze Pensive Bodhisattva and “The Thinker” to neuroscience and AI. The exhibition will run until October 18.

This linked program expands upon questions raised in the exhibition with two main topics: “meditation” and “humanoid robots.”

On August 13 at 2:00 p.m., the talk concert “In Meditation” will be held at Narae Hall in the Chang-ui Narae Building, led by Kim Wandu, head of the Meditation Science Research Center at KAIST. The event will explore how people in modern society can relate to their own thoughts and offer participants a chance to directly experience mindfulness by observing their own thinking.

The event is free of charge for anyone of high school age or older. Participants can reserve a spot in advance through the National Science Museum’s integrated reservation homepage, or join on-site if there are remaining seats, on a first-come, first-served basis.

From August 14 to 16, “Are Robots Thinking Too?” will be held, in which a humanoid robot will serve as a docent and provide exhibition explanations. In collaboration with IL ROBOTICS, the humanoid robot will introduce topics from brain waves to the Gilt-bronze Pensive Bodhisattva, “The Thinker,” robots, and brain-computer interface (BCI) technology.

The robot will not merely explain the exhibition but will also engage visitors in conversations on the theme of “thinking.” This program is for sixth grade elementary school students and above, is limited to 15 participants per session, and each session lasts around 20 minutes. Participation is free, but advance reservation via the integrated reservation homepage is required.

Lee Eunyoung, director of the National Science Museum, stated, “This special exhibition-linked program gives visitors a chance to physically experience and expand upon the question asked by the exhibition: ‘What is thought?’ We hope the program, along with the exhibition, receives much interest and participation.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.