X-Treme Rotation
Until March 19, 2006

THE EXHIBITION IS NOW OVER!

Did you know that just about everything in the universe is based on the principles of rotation?

If you think that’s an exaggeration, turn your head (there’s one rotation already!) and take a look around you.

Your bike in the hallway, the lawnmower in the yard, the pair of scissors on the counter, even the office chair you’re sitting on right now—they all employ rotation. And that’s not counting your body, which uses one principle of rotation or another just about every time it moves.

Intrigued? Curious? Check out the new exhibition at the Montréal Science Centre, X-treme Rotation.

What’s X-treme Rotation like?
It’s a 500 m² room divided into five zones:

• Robots… manifold rotation
  As you enter, you encounter the Rotoscopic Machines, a work by Bill Vorn.
  
  Light and sound enhance the ambiance of this intriguing space, where visitors can interact with one or several of the five robots suspended from the ceiling. Built from pneumatic valves, sensors and video cameras, the robots carry out rotational movements as visitors approach, performing a strange and surprising choreography that blurs the boundaries between human and machine.
  
  Rotoscopic Machines combines robotics, mechanics, electronics and computer technology to create a bizarre universe indeed!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Objects… high-performance rotation
  Five key items illustrate the principles of rotation used in almost everything we manufacture: the wheel, the gear, the screw, the lever, and the gyroscope.
  
  The principles in this zone are explained through different activities (roll the discs down a slope to see which descends faster) and through technological applications (assemble the gears to turn the disc).
  
  
  
  
  
• The body… all-around rotation
  Our skeleton is a world-class rotator.
  
  Slip on the movement-sensor vest and watch your joints move on the monitor.
  
  On the big screen, Johnny Skywalker, the b-boy, demonstrates his body’s ability to rotate, and a spinning platform nearby lets you try his techniques!
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Universe... infinite rotation
  Rotation occurs on very large scales, such as galaxies, and on very tiny scales, such as cells. Watch the movies shown side-by-side on two large screens; you’ll be amazed by the similarities!
  
  Inertia, centripetal force and centrifugal force are principles of rotation that act as the “glue” holding our universe together. Without rotation, the Earth would not have tides, days would last a year—and it gets worse! By the way, have you ever heard the sound of the stars? Come… listen…
  
  
  
  
  
• Creation... rotation galore
  At the end of your journey is the studio, a space for play and creativity.
  
  This is where you have fun with rotation. Play with a small tornado, deforming and disrupting it; build a super top using the principles explained in the exhibition, then test your prototype against others.
  
  You can even use templates to develop your own computer-based choreography, sign your creation and put it up on the big screen to get the full effect!
  
  

A visit to X-treme Rotation is an adventure where you will learn, play, touch, test and understand —knowledge and fun all rolled into one— and the world will never seem the same afterwards. Guaranteed!