Returning to the Exploratorium for the first time in several years (before the pandemic!) was like coming home to a familiar place. It was long overdue.
One of my favorite aspects of the Exploratorium is the series of exhibits on perception: persistence of vision, optical illusions, differences between sight and motion, etc. To that end, I was happy to find some updates, both new versions of classic exhibits and entirely new ones.
Also: The camera obscura room was open again, which turns out to be an amazing spot to view the Bay Lights at night once your eyes adjust to the extremely dark room.
In the front of the building near the Tactile Dome there’s a collection of exhibits on AI, both old and new. I was a little disappointed that their old chatbot circa 1990 or so wasn’t working. Maybe it was having an off night.
The highlight of this exhibit, as seen in the above video, is a table with various colorful cloths and other objects. A camera points downward at the table, and you’re given the opportunity to select a theme and rearrange the objects. An AI algorithm then “hallucinates” the video feed into a mashup of visuals that morph and jitter along to the theme in real time. As with most of the Exploratorium’s exhibits there’s no clear purpose to it beyond the play factor.
Before taking off for the evening I wandered past some exhibits that were still in the testing phase, including one that let you use a parabolic dish with a microphone to focus in on sounds around the museum. I found myself accidentally spying on a couple nearby, which was awkward. On the opposite end of the new and pristine spectrum there’s a mini exhibit devoted to wear and tear around the museum, including everything from worn out rubber pads to gears with most of the teeth sheared off. Makes me appreciate the amount of work that goes into maintaining the place.
There is one caveat to visiting the museum I have to address: the food. I hate to say it, but it’s been on one steep downhill slide ever since they reopened at the Pier 15 location. Perhaps offering upmarket fast casual dining at a science museum was always going to be a losing battle, though it’s safe to say the Exploratorium could find a better food vendor. There’s a variety of dining options nearby; if you’re looking for something family friendly at a similar price point I’d recommend Gott’s Roadside at the Ferry Building.
These days there are so many allegedly finished products that hide defects behind a thin veneer — whether they be broken video games, AI features with horrible consequences, or batteries that simply catch on fire — there’s something refreshingly honest about the Exploratorium’s approach to science. Yeah, it’s a little messy, but sometimes that’s half the fun.
