TRAVELING EXHIBIT REVEALS BIOMECHANICS OF ROBOT ANIMALS

Children across the nation can explore the biomechanics of complex animal robots to discover how real animals work, thanks to a touring exhibit, “The Robot Zoo.”

The 5,000-square-foot exhibit reveals the magic of nature as a master engineer. Eight robot animals and more than a dozen hands-on activities illustrate fascinating real-life characteristics, such as how a chameleon changes colors, a giant squid propels itself and a fly walks on the ceiling.

The larger-than-life-size animated robots include a chameleon, a rhinoceros, a giant squid with 18-foot tentacles and a platypus. Also featured are a house fly with a 10-foot wingspread, a grasshopper, a bat and a giraffe whose head and neck alone stretch 9 feet tall.

Cutaways expose the animals’ insides as a host of easily recognizable machine parts and gadgets, such as shock absorbers and pumps, that demonstrate what makes animals work. By comparing anatomy, environments and size of the actual creatures to the mechanic counterparts, The Robot Zoo provides fantastic new insights and hands-on fun for discovering just how animals work.

National Corporate Sponsor:
Silicon Graphics, Inc.
TIME Magazine

Content Collaborator:
Marshall Editions, London, England

5000 sq. ft. Version

Now Showing:

Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids Public Museum
June 22, 2024 – September 22, 2024

Upcoming Venues:

London, England
Horniman Public Museum
February 14, 2025 – November 2, 2025

Past Venues:

Fernbank Museum, Atlanta, Georgia
Milwaukee Zoo, Milwaukee Wisconsin
The Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose, California
Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota
St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Fort Worth Science and History, Fort Worth, Texas
Orlando Science Center, Orlando, Florida
McWane Center, Birmingham, Alabama
The Science Center of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa
National Geographic Explorers Hall, Washington D.C.
Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii
Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, New York
Ontario Science Center – Canada, North York, Ontario
The Maritime Aquarium, Norwalk, Connecticut
Museo Technologico, Mexico City, Mexico
Space Center Houston, Houston, Texas
Mid-America Science Museum, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Parc du Futuroscope, Jaunay-Clan, France
Museon Den Haag, Netherlands
Techniek Museum, Hengelo, NL
Science Center, Budapest, Hungary
Park Miniatur, Lodz, Poland
Horniman Public Museum, London, UK
Via Port Mall, Istanbul, TR
MadaTech, Haifa, IS
AHHAA Science Center, Tartu, ES
Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, SW
Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center, Pasay City, PH
The Scientific Centre, Kuwait City, KW
Show Up/Mall, Bucharest, ROM
U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Boone County Public Library, Burlington, KY
Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
Gail Borden Library, Elgin, IL
Horniman Public Museum, London, UK
Sloan Museum, Flint, MI
Dueto-Village Mall, Rio de Janeiro, BR
Miss. River Mus. & Aquarium, Dubuque, IA
Sharjah Children’s Festival, Sharjah, UAE
Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA

Scaled Version (2,500 sq. ft. Version)

The 2,500 square foot exhibit reveals nature as a master engineer. Three robot animals and 7 hands-on activities illustrate fascinating real-life characteristics. The larger-than-life-size animated robots include a chameleon and a platypus. Also featured is a housefly with a 3-foot wing spread.

Upcoming Venues:

Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield Museums
January 18, 2025 – May 4, 2025

Past Venues:
Calgary Science Center (TELUS World of Science), Alberta, CA
Delaware Museum of Natural History, Wilmington, DE
Port Discovery, Baltimore, MD
San Bernadino County Museum, Redlands, CA
Science Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke, VA
The Children’s Museum of Richmond, Richmond, VA
Roberson Museum and Science Center, Binghamton, NY
The Sloan Museum, Flint, MI
American Museum of Sci & Energy, Oak Ridge, TN
Miami Museum of Science, Miami, FL
Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Walnut Creek, CA
Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson, MS
San Antonio Children’s Museum, San Antonio, TX
Saskatchewan Science Centre, Regina, SK
Natural Science Center of Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
Virginia Living Museum, Newport News, VA
Rocky Mount Children’s Museum, Rocky Mount, NC
The Science Zone, Casper, WY
Grey Roots Museum & Archives, Owen Sound, ON
Explorium, Boca Raton, FL
South Florida Science Museum, West Palm Beach, FL
The Wildlife Experience, Parker, CO
Sci-Port Discovery Center, Shreveport, LA
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, CA
Port Huron Museum, Port Huron, MI
Discovery Center at Murfree Spring
Murfreesboro, TN
Montshire Museum, Norwich, VT
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Dayton, OH
National History Center and Visitor Center at the Gray Fossil Site, Johnson, TN
Discovery Centre, Halifax, NS
Planetario Alfa, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
UT Pan Am, Edinburg, TX
The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, Greenville, SC
Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo, MI
Austin Mus. of Science and Nature, Austin, TX
Delaware Museum of Natural History, Wilmington, DE
Mesker Park Zoo, Evansville, Indiana
North Carolina Arboretum, Ashland, NC
Gold Group, Portland, ME
Virginia Air & Space Center, Hampton, VA
Petroleum Museum, Midland, TX
Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, KS
Tellus Science Museum, Cartersville, GA
Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention, Gainesville, Florida
Strategic Air and Space Museum, Ashland, NE
Swaner Preserve & Ecocenter, Park City, UT
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson, MS
Houston Museum of Natural Science, Sugar Land, TX
Virginia Air & Space Museum, Hampton, VA
South Florida Fair, West Palm Beach, FL
Florida State Fair, Tampa, FL
ExplorationWorks!, Helena, MT
Minnetrista Museum, Muncie, IN
Imperial Centre, Rocky Mount, NC

Lease Information:
Christi Klingelhefer at 210-599-0045