Frozen sing-along today at The Tech Interactive

The Tech Interactive is collaborating with Broadway San Jose for a sing-along event featuring what is still one of the most popular children's movies. Kids can belt out their favorite tunes and dance with Elsa, Anna, and Olaf during this one-day event. It runs from 10:30am-12:30pm at The Tech.

BEAUTIFICA 360 at The Tech Interactive

BEAUTIFICA is a follow-up to one of the best selling planetarium music experiences in the world. The show provides a 360 degree journey through real and artificial worlds paired with an immersive audio experience. It's a sensory experience suitable for all ages 6 and up.

The Tech Interactive is screening it on their IMAX Dome Theater this weekend on Friday, September 1st and Saturday, September 2nd with showtimes at 6pm, 7:30pm, and 9pm.

There are still a few seats available. For more info and tickets to this unique experience, click here. 

Here are a couple promo codes if you are going with kids or larger groups:

BEAUTIFICAFAMILY - 10% off for adults booking with children

BEAUTIFICAGROUP - 10% off when booking 6 or more tickets

New interactive AI exhibit at The Tech

Animaker is the first exhibit in the world that teaches kids about AI while actually teaching machines how to recognize objects in the real world. Visitors are invited to form animals out of lego blocks, which are then analyzed by a 3D scanner in conjunction with AI software and virtually placed in a jungle temple that is projected onto a wall. There is a two minute video below that shows how it works and it is quite an impressive concept.

Animaker is now open and will be at The Tech for at least a year. For more info, head over here.

New exhibit explores the future of creative play in an Artificial Intelligence driven world
Animaker invites visitors to collaborate with AI-powered robots and bring their creations to life

May 31, 2018, San Jose, CA-- The Tech Museum of Innovation is opening a new immersive exhibit which invites visitors to collaborate with AI-powered robots to bring their creations to life. In Animaker, visitors step into a large-scale projection of a jungle temple where robots invite them to form animals out of LEGO/Duplo bricks. Their creations are analyzed by the robots, incorporating cutting edge 3D-scanning technology and an AI powered search engine that understands 3D content. The animals then come to life in a virtual ancient temple, and can be personalized by changing their look and behavior. This is the first experience in the world where children play and learn about AI by training machines to recognize different interpretations of real world objects.

Bringing together primitive and futuristic creative expression practices from cave art, graffiti, video games, LEGO and digital art, the installation breaks down barriers between the physical and the virtual world and enables completely new play experiences. Animaker incorporates cutting-edge cross reality (XR) developments while avoiding the genre-typical technological barriers such as headsets or AR-enabled mobile devices.

Animaker is developed by a global team of educators, engineers, and artists from The Tech Museum of Innovation (San Jose, Ca), AI technology startup Resonai (Tel Aviv/Palo Alto), digital art studio OMAi (Vienna, Austria) and 3D scanning startup Occipital (San Francisco, Ca).

“Animaker allows visitors to experiment with new forms of human machine interaction that are enabled by artificial intelligence, and extend one of the most beloved play experiences, LEGO building, into the virtual space,” says Galia Rosen Schwarz, VP business development at Resonai. “Our visual search engine, that understands 3D geometry and structure, analyzes each build and recognizes the animal that it represents. One of the key challenges here was teaching a computer to recognize builds that even the human eye may misinterpret.”

“It is thrilling to watch children so creatively engaged in a learning activity that so seamlessly combines the physical and virtual world. When educators, artists and tech makers come together, the possibilities for inspiring the next generation of innovative leaders are endless. We see the power of this creative confidence and knowledge of how to use new tech to solve problems last far beyond our exhibition walls,” says Nadav Hochman, experience developer and program manager, Art & Technology, at The Tech. Animaker is a collaboration The Tech is facilitating as part of a new Art + Tech initiative. The goal is to build a bridge between the global creative community and the high-tech sector of the greater Silicon Valley to create new experiences with emerging technology.

About the Animaker collaborators:

Resonai powers machines to understand the world through super-human visual perception, allowing them to recognize objects, complex scenes and context. Resonai’s search engine, that analyzes the precise geometry and structure of 3D content, powers real time visual search and recognition. For more information visit www.resonai.com.

Vienna based art studio OMAi create visual experiences around the world. Their iPad app Tagtool, a live instrument for spontaneous digital creation, has sparked a global community of artists and educators and was featured in Apple’s WWDC keynote videos twice. For more information visit www.omai.at

Occipital makes the Structure Sensor & SDK, Skanect, Canvas, TapMeasure, 360 Panorama and the PX-80 by Paracosm. Occipital focuses on making advanced computer vision technologies simple enough for everyday use. Occipital is based in Boulder, CO, San Francisco, CA and Gainesville, FL. For more information, visit Occipital on the Web at http://occipital.com and http://structure.io.

The Tech Museum of Innovation is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum — located in the Capital of Silicon Valley — is a non-profit experiential learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing applied technologies affecting their lives. The Tech’s mission is to inspire the innovator in everyone. thetech.org

AR and Human Anatomy Tango at The Tech Museum

An unprecedented new AR experience is coming to San Jose!

The Tech Museum of Innovation is proud to present Body Worlds Decoded – putting a Silicon Valley twist on the world-renowned plastinated human bodies exhibit through Gunther von Hagens’ Institute for Plastination.

In partnership with the Institute for the Future, The Tech created the Iris AR system, which allows visitors to view and interact with 3D models and virtual objects including a heart, eyeball, digestive tract and skull. Imagine walking all the way around a beating heart floating in front of you through the AR lens, or, wandering around an eyeball and optical nerve, and then being able to step inside for an internal view.

Funded by Ann and John Doerr, Body Worlds Decoded opens October 15, 2017.

For more information on Body Worlds Decoded, visit thetech.org/bodyworldsdecoded.

-Noe Sacoco

The Tech Museum of Innovation reinvents Body Worlds exhibit with unprecedented augmented reality experience

The Tech will premiere Iris, a custom AR experience that allows visitors to examine anatomy like never before, in Body Worlds Decoded, opening Oct. 15.

SAN JOSE, CA – October 10, 2017 – The Tech Museum of Innovation will open a new exhibition, Body Worlds Decoded, on Sunday, Oct. 15. This groundbreaking experience uses augmented reality (AR) and other emerging tech to put a Silicon Valley spin on Body Worlds, the display of plastinated human bodies that have sparked curiosity and awe around the world. The Tech will also debut Iris, its custom AR system that allows visitors to examine organs and body systems through immersive graphics.

“Body Worlds Decoded is an experience like no other, and it is only fitting that this blending of nature and technology should be celebrated in Silicon Valley,” said John Doerr, the chairman of Kleiner Perkins who with his wife Ann is contributing $5 million to The Tech to make the exhibit possible. “Ann and I are thrilled to help bring this experience to life, and it is our dream that it will inspire youth and contribute to a greater understanding of the life sciences.”

In partnership with the Institute for the Future, The Tech created the Iris AR system, which allows visitors to view and interact with 3D models and virtual objects including a heart, eyeball, digestive tract and skull. Iris uses ARtifactor — content authoring and management software developed by IFTF — and runs on the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, a Google Tango-enabled mobile device. The Tech will add new 3D models, animations and other content to the 5,000-square-foot exhibition, so visitors will always have something new to discover.

“This is the future of museums —  AR is about to transform how we interpret our world and how we approach education,” said Toshi Anders Hoo, lead AR consultant and director of the Institute for the Future’s Emerging Media Lab. “The Tech has emerged as a leader in the exciting AR movement, offering a whole new world of immersive technology that will influence museums and exhibitions globally.”

The Tech aims for Body Worlds Decoded to become Northern California’s premiere public anatomy lab as well as an AR testbed. Teachers and professors will be able to take biology lessons out of the classroom, and doctors can recommend a visit for patient education. The AR industry will also be invited to use the exhibition to prototype advances in software and hardware with the community.

“Body Worlds Decoded is one of the most ambitious and exciting anatomy experiences ever created,” said Tim Ritchie, president and CEO of The Tech Museum of Innovation. “The human body contains so many mysteries, and the implementation of AR and all of its capabilities stands to provide valuable clues in unlocking those secrets and inspiring the next generation of advances in medicine and physiology.”

In Body Worlds Decoded, displays of real human bodies — eight full-body plastinates and more than 60 individual specimens — will help visitors explore the smallest organs to the most complex systems, including nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, urinary, reproductive, digestive and locomotive. They can participate in live demonstrations of Anatomage, a 3D virtual dissection used at the nation’s top medical schools. Body Worlds Decoded also explores the artistic side of anatomy with installations of art inspired by the wonder and mystery of the human body. Pieces by local artist Lauren A. Toomer will be displayed, and visitors will be invited to create their own artwork.

“The human form has intrigued artists throughout history,” said Lisa Incatasciato, Exhibit Content Developer at The Tech. “Despite technology giving us a more accurate look, there’s still something mysterious and inspiring about creating your own visual interpretation of the body. You don’t have to love anatomy to enjoy this exhibit, but we bet you’ll appreciate it before you leave.”

Body Worlds Decoded opens Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, and is set for an unprecedented 10-year run at The Tech. The bodies and specimens were preserved by Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ Institute for Plastination, which created BODY WORLDS exhibitions to help people better understand the human body and its functions.

For more information on Body Worlds Decoded, visit thetech.org/bodyworldsdecoded.

About The Tech Museum of Innovation
The Tech is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum — located in the Capital of Silicon Valley — is a non-profit experiential learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing applied technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge, our annual team-design competition for youth, and internationally renowned programs such as The Tech for Global Good, The Tech endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone.

New renders of Museum Place, Downtown's most impressive high-rise proposal to date

I hope everyone has enjoyed the long weekend. It seems like it has been ages since we have had some really exciting development news. Thankfully, Nathan Donato-Weinstein from the SVBJ has come to the rescue with news on Museum Place. This is an epic mixed-use project first revealed last August.

The first formal plans for Museum Place have been submitted to the city, and the latest renders look even more impressive than before. Those plans include 213,820 SQFT of office space, 334 condos, a 143-room boutique hotel, 12,171 SQFT of retail, and a 60,000 SQFT expansion of The Tech museum (ground floor plus one level underground). There will be enough parking for 1,000 cars, all underground using a system where cars can be stacked on top of one another. The building will also have one of the slickest signage/lighting systems in Downtown.

Not only will this significantly change the skyline with a unique design, but it will help activate a paseo that runs between Park Avenue and the Convention Center. Getting a few projects like this in the area will be a game-changer! Check out the renders below and all of the details at the source link.

Source: SVBJ

The Tech opens nation's first interactive bioengineering exhibit

San Jose, Calif.,  — The Tech Museum of Innovation will empower visitors to play, tinker and design with the building blocks of life in BioDesign Studio, a new exhibit opening Friday, March 18. The exhibit will feature the nation’s first museum biotinkering space and an interactive exploration of how biology is technology.

“BioDesign Studio is an experience like no other,” said Tim Ritchie, president and CEO of The Tech. “This is a space where visitors of all ages can gain a deep understanding of their own power to use synthetic biology to solve big problems, like food security and climate change. We’ll be inspiring the next generation of biotech innovators.”

BioDesign Studio features five stations that break down heavy concepts, empowering visitors to play with DNA while nurturing their own ability to design and create with biology. “The people who need to solve the huge problems we face with global food and health 15 years down the road are the same people who will visit this exhibit right now,” said Romie Littrell, the exhibit’s developer and a leader in the DIY Bio movement. “It all begins with making them feel like biology is fun and interesting.”

Visitors will use lab equipment to create their own mix of colorful DNA; learn about genetic traits by “coding” the pattern of a bear’s fur; use computerized blocks to build new creatures and release them into a digital world to interact with other beings; explore how bioengineering could impact the future; and do hands­on activities in the BioTinkering Lab.

The BioTinkering Lab will, over time, play host to citizen science projects as well as drop­-in activities like creating mushroom bricks, in which visitors transform wood particles that would have been sent to landfills into sustainable building materials using mycelium.

“The world is really just starting to tap into the amazing potential of mycelium for manufacturing,” said Anja Scholze, biotech experience designer at The Tech. “We love giving our visitors a chance to explore something so fresh.”

Planned to last for 10 years, the exhibition, like biology itself, will evolve. The $5 million exhibit was made possible by several generous foundations including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Franklin and Catherine Johnson Foundation.

For more information: thetech.org/biodesignstudio

New World-Class Tower Proposed for Downtown San Jose!!!

If you are wondering why I began today's post with a photo, it is because I was almost lost for words when I read Nathan Donato-Weinstein's article in the Business Journal. This high-rise proposal is easily the most impressive I have ever seen in my lifetime for Downtown San Jose! 

The City of San Jose has been shopping around for a developer to come in an build out a killer project in one of Downtown's best locations right behind the Tech Museum. Of the four proposals they received, they have chosen to move forward with one by Insight Realty, which includes a design by Steinberg Architects (same architect that did The Tech). It looks like they made the right choice.

This would be the most "mixed-use" high-rise tower in San Jose, and maybe even in the Bay Area. This project would include a 60,000 SQFT expansion of the Tech Museum on the ground floor, 210,000 SQFT of "creative office space" on the next five floors, twelve stories of condos, then three stories for an upscale boutique hotel, and finally a floor of luxury penthouse condos. The tower would rise 270 feet tall and have a cascading effect that would bring green balconies and terraces to a huge portion of the building. It looks like they would even turn the roof of The Tech into a park! 

I don't even know where to begin with how excited I am, and and the impact this would have Downtown! As opposed to just being residential, it will bring some much needed hotel and Class A office space Downtown. This would be the first new office space built Downtown since 2010. Each component of the project has a symbiotic relationship with the rest. The park could be used by office workers during work days and residents and hotel patrons during nights and weekends. The hotel amenities would be accessible to residents as well. Parking could be shared between office workers and residents since they have separate peak demand cycles. The list goes on and on.

As for location, it could not be more central Downtown. Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the Convention Center, the Center for Performing Arts, the City National Civic, the Montgomery Theater, The Guadalupe River Park, and of course the Tech are all immediately accessible. Across the street you will find the Adobe's Headquarters and the Riverpark Towers with two of the fastest growing tech companies in San Jose, Xactly and Intacct. If you draw a circle a 10 minute walk from the proposed project, it will include San Pedro Square, SoFA, Camera 12, most companies on Santa Clara Street, and about 150 restaurants. If you go out 15 minutes, you can add the SAP Center, Diridon Station, and SJSU to the list.

Last, but definitely not least... the building has landmark-grade architecture. I would be 100% satisfied if the design did not change one bit between now and when the shovels hit the ground. Even better is the fact that it would replace two of the most dilapidated and ugly buildings Downtown. (Update: these two structures are just outside the scope of the project, although I can't imagine the building on the corner staying there for long.)

If all goes well, the City of San Jose and Insight Realty could finalize the deal within six months (hopefully much sooner). No construction start date is listed in the article, but late 2016 might be feasible if the deal gets wrapped soon. Exciting times ahead!

Source: SVBJ

The Tech Wins a National Award!

A couple weeks ago The Tech landed the highest honor any American museum can achieve--the IMLS National Medal. It is only given to five museums each year and is based on the institution's impact on the lives of individuals, families, and communities. For 2015, The Tech was the only museum in California to get the honor.

For more info, click here.

Today is truly one of the great days in the history of The Tech

I am thrilled to tell you that we have won the National Medal for Museum and Library Service — the highest honor an American museum can achieve. Each year, this award is given to five museums and five libraries nationwide. It is given based on the institution’s record for making a difference in the lives of individuals, families, and communities, and this year we were the only museum selected from California. (A list of the other institutions receiving the honor can be found here.)  

I will travel to Washington, D.C., to accept the medal on May 18. Accompanying me will be Maria Arias Evans, the powerhouse principal of Washington Elementary School in San Jose and a close partner of ours. Why Maria? Because our partnership with Washington Elementary represents a great deal about what we aspire to be and to do — to be a resource for teachers, families and the community in the effort to help young people achieve their potential. Maria’s students visit us regularly for field trips; in fact, a group of fifth-graders is here today learning about electricity in one of our hands-on labs. “The Tech has the STEM expertise that we don’t,” Maria said. “We may not have our own fab labs, science labs, and other STEM resources, but we have The Tech.”

We would not have achieved this honor without the deep and wide support of the Silicon Valley community — donors, our staff, board, volunteers, community and corporate leaders, educators and elected officials — including our beloved congressional representative, Zoe Lofgren, who nominated us for the medal. In particular, we would like to thank the South Bay residents who have never wavered in their commitment to The Tech. We share this honor with you.

Yours,

Tim

Tim RitchiePresident and CEO
The Tech Museum of Innovation 

Body Metrics Now Open at The Tech

A new permanent exhibit at The Tech focused on wearable technology called Body Metrics. The technology featured in this exhibit will eventually influence almost every aspect of our life, especially our health. You can think of it almost as Mobile Devices v2.0.

Visitors to Body Metrics will be given a Sensor Kit with three wearable devices. After interacting with exhibits, visitors can place one of these devices on a 12-foot touchscreen table and see how their activity level, tension, mental focus, talkativeness, and attitude were impacted.

For more information, have a look at the press release below or the Body Metrics page at The Tech's website.

The Tech Museum of Innovation Opens New Permanent Exhibition, Body Metrics

Explore the Digital You in Latest Exhibit Focused on the Intersection of Technology and Wellness

SAN JOSE, CA — The Tech Museum of Innovation on Thursday opens a new permanent exhibition, Body Metrics, presented by Kaiser Permanente.

Body Metrics invites people to learn about their physical, social, and emotional health, and how they are affected by environment, behavior, movement, and interactions with others. Visitors will be outfitted with a Sensor Kit including three wearable devices — a customized iPod, a Somaxis muscle and heart sensor, and a NeuroSky headset. Using these tools, they’ll be able to explore and manipulate their data streams, displayed on the iPod screen, while participating in activities within the Body Metrics exhibition and throughout the museum.

“What we are doing is much more than wearable tech like Fitbit, NikeFuel band, and Zamzee, which measure physical activity,” said Lath Carlson, Vice President of Exhibits at The Tech. “We’re exploring physical metrics, as well as social and emotional ones. This is way beyond anything that’s commercially out there.”

After interacting with exhibits while wearing the technology, visitors can place their iPod on a 12-foot touch table that displays their data in six categories: activity level, tension, mental focus, talkativeness, attitude, and the number of people nearby. By exploring and learning to manipulate these metrics by altering their behavior, visitors learn to make small but meaningful changes to their physical and mental health.

"Kaiser Permanente was the first health care organization to link computers and doctors to improve members' health. Now, more than 4.7 million Kaiser Permanente members use our digital tools to take charge of their health and partner with their care providers," said Chris Boyd, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara. "By sponsoring the Body Metrics exhibition at San Jose's famed Tech Museum of Innovation, Kaiser Permanente wants to spread the message of how powerful technologies can help people understand and manage their well-being."

Body Metrics is one in a series of new exhibits representing a five-year institutional transformation that is redefining The Tech as a Silicon Valley resource for innovation.

The Tech is creating deep experiences that are open-ended, social, and collaborative, such as Body Metrics and Social Robots, which challenges visitors to design and program a robot for human interaction in real-world settings. Multiple new “design challenge” galleries will cover the museum’s 30,000-square-foot lower level; The Tech is scheduled to open an exhibit on cyber security in the spring of 2015.

About The Tech Museum of Innovation

The Tech is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum — in the Capital of Silicon Valley — is a non-profit, experiential learning resource established to engage people in exploring applied technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge presented by Cisco, our annual team-design competition for youth, and the internationally renowned program to honor technology benefiting humanity, The Tech Awards presented by Applied Materials, The Tech endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. It is recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, its mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves. It currently serves approximately 9.5 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

Tech + Tastings at Santana Row

A unique "tech-walk" event is coming to Santana Row in a couple weeks that combines wine and food tastings with various tech exhibits courtesy of The Tech Museum of Innovation (you have to check out the 3D printers). Tickets are only $40 and benefit the museum. All of the info is below:

Tech + Tastings at Santana Row
Presented by The Tech Museum of Innovation

6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday, September 4

San Jose, CA – Join us for the first-ever tech walk, an only-in-Silicon Valley event that brings together two of San Jose’s favorite attractions, Santana Row and The Tech Museum of Innovation.
The evening’s highlight is a wine stroll around Santana Row with shop stops that will feature exhibits from The Tech. The event is a benefit for the museum. Tickets are $40 and are available at santanarow.com. Ticket holders will be given:

• Access to hands-on tech exhibits
• Wine & food pairings
• Exclusive discounts to Santana Row shops and restaurants
• Signature Santana Row wine glass

Registration is in Santana Row Park, and will begin at 5:50 p.m.

Here’s what you’ll see from The Tech:

• “Your Life in Data” lets you experience the latest in wearable data gathering. Brainwaves, muscle tension, pulse, light levels, colors, faces, speech and voice levels will all be logged and displayed back to you.
• “Minimasher,” a multiplayer electronic instrument that allows you to jam out on three sets of drum pads triggering drum, bass, and synth sounds.
• “3D Printing -The Future of Making” demonstrates the wonder of 3D with various printed objects on hand. You can try freehand plastic creation with the 3Doodler.
• “Hacker vs. Hacker” challenges you to break into a safe and win a prize. Find the best way in: do you pick the lock, crack the code, or jump the right wires?
• “Scribble Scratch” is a modified consumer DJ controller that puts you in charge of the DJ rig, the iconic Hip Hop instrument. 

About Santana Row
Santana Row, a 647,000 square foot mixed-use development in San Jose, CA, is Silicon Valley’s premier destination for shopping, dining, living and working. Santana Row features over 70 shops, 20 restaurants, a boutique hotel and movie theatre. In addition to the dynamic retail & restaurant collection, Santana Row offers 615 luxury rental homes, 219 privately owned condos and 65,000 square feet of Class A office space. Santana Row is a property of www.federalrealty.com (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visit www.santanarow.com.


About Federal Realty
Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust specializing in
the ownership, management, development, and redevelopment of high quality retail assets. Federal Realty's portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) contains approximately 20 million square feet located primarily in strategically selected metropolitan markets in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and California. In addition, the Trust has an ownership interest in approximately 1.0 million square feet of retail space through a joint venture in which the Trust has a 30% interest. Our operating portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) was 95.3% leased to national, regional, and local retailers as of June 30, 2014, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 3.2% of annualized base rent. Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 47 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P MidCap 400 company and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT.


About The Tech Museum of Innovation
The Tech is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum—located in the Capital of Silicon Valley —is a non-profit, experiential learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing applied technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge presented by Cisco, our annual team-design competition for youth, and internationally renowned program to honor technology benefiting humanity, The Tech Awards presented by Applied Materials, The Tech endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone.

Cellist Zoë Keating Headlines REBOOT:music Live Concert @ The Tech

7:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. 21+ only
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Lower Level of The Tech Museum of Innovation
$15 early bird presale / $13 for members
$20 presale / $25 at the door
Buy tickets

Zoë Keating, the well-known Canadian cellist and composer, will headline The Tech Museum of Innovation’s REBOOT:music LIVE! concert on Saturday, August 2. Keating will be joined by four other electronic musicians — Eskmo, Moldover, Nonagon and Rich DDT — as part of the closing event for The Tech’s exhibition, REBOOT:music, which ends its run August 17.

Keating’s mix of acoustic and electronic music — she plays the cello and a foot-operated laptop device — has captivated audiences worldwide. The artist’s DIY musical projects have attracted a wide following on social media despite the fact that she isn’t affiliated with any record label. View video of one of Keating's performances here.

The concert will also feature Eskmo, a Los Angeles electronic music producer; Moldover, known to the YouTube music community as “The Godfather of Controllerism”; Nonagon, performing alongside Colin Evoy Sebestyen with a combination of traditional and electronic music, mesmerizing designs and effects; and Rich DDT, who will play his ControlliTAR.

Before the concert, the artists will take part in a panel discussion about their inspirations and the technologies they use.

REBOOT:music Live! is the closing event for The Tech’s digital music exhibition, REBOOT:music. The exhibition features 16 installations by renowned artists that allow visitors to collaborate and explore the boundaries of music making. It is open through August 17.

Contributing Curators: LoveTech

The Photography of Modern Cuisine at The Tech (Jun 25 - Sep 1)

SAN JOSE, CA – Prepare for your close-up – with food like you’ve never seen it before.

The Photography of Modernist Cuisine: The Exhibition, a collection of more than 75 large-format photographs of food taken by Nathan Myhrvold and his Modernist Cuisine team, will be on display at The Tech Museum of Innovation from June 25 to September 1. Admission is free.

Myhrvold is the former Microsoft chief technology officer and author of the critically acclaimed Modernist Cuisine books, which are beloved by chefs. The photographs in the exhibition illuminate the fascinating, accessible science at work every day in our kitchens. “Cooking is the only science experiment we all do on a regular basis,” Myhrvold says.

"Nathan Myhrvold's passion for food and photography are on full display in this extraordinary exhibit,” said Tech President Tim Ritchie. “He enables us to see how wonderful and beautiful food really is, and how we can use technology to prepare it in delightful ways."

“I hope that others share with us the child-like wonder and curiosity I feel when looking at these photos,” Myhrvold says. “The exhibition and book are in many ways a culmination of my lifelong interest in photography, in much the same way thatModernist Cuisine was a milestone in my interest in food.”

Visitors will see the fractal structures and mesmerizing color gradations of vitamin C crystals through research microscopes with filters that polarize light. They’ll learn about the physics that propel and explode a bursting kernel of popcorn through the lens of a high-speed video camera that slows the action by a factor of 200. This unprecedented collection of images uses these innovations and other advanced technologies – including photographic techniques like panoramic stitching, focus stacking, and microscopy – to show the world of food in an entirely new way.

The Tech is the exhibition’s second stop in a three-year worldwide tour.

WHAT: The Photography of Modernist Cuisine: The Exhibition, a collection of more than 75 large-format photographs of food taken by Nathan Myhrvold and his team atModernist Cuisine

WHEN:  June 25 through Sept. 1, 2014

WHERE: The Tech Museum of Innovation, 201 S. Market St., San Jose, CA

Reboot:music Live! Tomorrow at The Tech

The Tech will be hosting unique musical event tomorrow in conjunction with their new "Reboot:music" exhibit. Several world-class electronic musicians will be performing beside the largest exhibition of interactive and collaborative digital music installations ever created. To get a feel for some of the performances, here are a handful of Youtube videos featuring the artists.

Reboot:music Live!

Saturday, May 10

7:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

Admission $20

This event is 21 and over only. 

The Tech Museum of Innovation brings you a world-class lineup of live electronic musicianship, staged amid the largest exhibition of interactive, collaborative digital music installations ever created. Unleash your inner musician and immerse yourself in a new world of musical performances led by revolutionaries who are redefining the intersection of humans and machines.

Panel discussion with the artists moderated by ANI starts at 7:00 p.m. 

Performances by:  

• Daedelus
• Jeremy Ellis
• Onyx Ashanti
• Author & Punisher
• Daniel Bekman

Engage with instrument builders, fellow music enthusiasts, and creative tech luminaries. Inspire your creative spirit with 16 interactive installations in our REBOOT:music exhibition. REBOOT:music Live! is the ultramodern experience that you won't want to miss.

Contributing Curators: LoveTech

New Digital Music Exhibit at The Tech - REBOOT:music

The Tech is launching a new temporary exhibit focused around the art of making music in the digital age. This will include 14 installations by renowned artists that will let museum patrons collaborate and explore making music. They are also planning on having two evening concerts that will bring together cutting-edge live music performers from all around the world and various workshops to teach people more about music. The new exhibit is already open and will be available until August 17th of this year. More information in the press release below.

~~~

SAN JOSE, CA –Time to turn up the volume! Bust out your maestro hat and mix it up. REBOOT:music, The Tech’s new interactive exhibition where you can partake in ultramodern digital music creation technology, debuts Friday, March 7, 2014. Unleash your artistic spirit with the help of 14 imaginative musical instruments created by visionary artists that allows you to explore the boundaries of how you experience music.

REBOOT:music provides collaborative, mesmerizing social music experiences with installations like:

• The Laser Harp Alembic: the musical sculpture that surrounds you with an orchestra of infinite sounds, each just a pluck of the air away.
• Red Hot and Sympathetic Resonance: two large-scale electro-acoustic experiences that bring a technological twist to familiar acoustic instruments.
• Stepping Tones: an immersive projection mapped out environment lets you create and visualize beats by hand.
• The Space Palette: the ultramodern musical and graphical instrument where futuristic soundscapes and digital designs are at your fingertips – literally!

To accompany the exhibition, the museum will create spin-off programs: two music performances and workshops featuring artists, musicians, instrument builders, and tech luminaries will be announced shortly.

WHAT:  The Tech’s new exhibition, REBOOT:music, unleashes your inner music-maker with 14 interactive digital music instruments. Free with museum admission.
WHEN:  Limited engagement debuts Friday, March 7, 2014 at 10 a.m. This temporary exhibition will run through Aug. 17, 2014.
WHERE: The Tech, 201 S. Market St., San Jose, CA
 
About The Tech Museum of Innovation
The Tech is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum—located in the Capital of Silicon Valley —is a non-profit, experiential learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing applied technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge presented by Cisco, our annual team-design competition for youth, and internationally renowned programs such as The Tech Awards presented by Applied Materials, The Tech endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone.

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The Tech Museum of Innovation
201 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113
1-408-795-6321
mtran@thetech.org

Visit: thetech.org
Like: facebook.com/TheTechMuseum
Follow: twitter.com/TheTechMuseum

Robots Taking over the Tech Tomorrow

Cutting-Edge Robotics Take Over The Tech Museum of Innovation

Museum hosts entire day of human-robot interaction activities on MLK day

SAN JOSE, CA –Bust out moves to your favorite tunes alongside a humanoid robot as your partner. Hear from experts leading the social robot evolution. Build a robot comedian and laugh out loud. There may soon be a day when robots are integrated into our everyday lives, and even be able to anticipate and adjust to human preferences.

For an entire day, The Tech showcases a variety of social robots and guest speakers at the forefront of their field. NAO, a programmable humanoid robot from France’s Aldebaran Robotics, will perform dances to popular hits throughout the day. Guests can also program Play-i' Bo the Robot to play a xylophone, as well as engage with Furby and Pleo and see how they respond to actions.

Over in the RoboTheater, visitors can try their hand at design by programming a human robot to perform a variety of tasks before heading into The Tech’s Social Robots experience to design and build their own robot that makes them laugh. The museum will feature a special theme in the experience that day – Robot Comedians.

Special speakers include Intuitive Automata’s Cory Kidd and Professor Andrea Thomaz. Thomaz is an Associate Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology and an innovator in the robotics field. Published in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Human-Robot Interaction, she is radically redefining how robots and humans interact.

WHO/WHAT: Special robot programming and special guests throughout the day featuring Georgia Tech’s Professor Andrea Thomaz, Intuitive Automata’s Cory Kidd, Play-i founders, NAO, and a bevy of engaging social robots. Free with Museum Admission.

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. MLK day, Monday, January 20

WHERE: The Tech, 201 S. Market St., San Jose, CA

For more information and programming schedule, visit: http://www.thetech.org/

Special Events & Programming for Star Wars at The Tech Museum

Stellar Programming Unveiled for

Star Wars^®: Where Science Meets Imagination

The Tech Museum of Innovation debuts new series of events

SAN JOSE, CA – An out-of-this-world lineup of lectures, workshops, and celebrations at The Tech will run alongside the popular exhibition, Star Wars^®: Where Science Meets Imagination, presented by Bose Corporation^®.

Beginning Saturday, October 19 through Sunday, February 23, 2014, the museum will host a variety of engaging special events, programs, and workshops that bring the magic of all 6 films alive. Guests will not only discover the science behind lightsabers and create their own flying hovercrafts, they will also explore the futuristic technologies depicted in the films and the real science behind them and the research that might someday lead to real-life versions.

The Tech’s Star Wars programming will include:

Jedi^™ Nights presented by ScholarShare College Savings Plan

Special evening celebrations of all things Star Wars! Grab your lightsaber and dress up in your favorite Star Warscostume. Re-create your favorite scenes, meet and take photos with Stormtroopers, R2-D2, and Jedi Knights, or train for the Jedi™ Academy. Tickets for Jedi^™ Nights include admission to the exhibition.

Hands-on Science Workshop - Jedi^™ Tech

Opening October 5, the science behind Star Wars becomes reality in The Tech’s hands-on workshops. Techsabers – where visitors will tinker with circuitry, LEDs, and various light diffusing and reflecting materials – and Skywalker Writing where guests leverage “the Force” for intergalactic light paintings and control their own hovercrafts. Workshops are free with museum admission.

The Tech Connects

An engaging new program that brings ideas and people together to explore and discuss the different intersections technology make with our world. Guest speakers will look at a range of topics including the phenomenon, visual effects, droids, and women of Star Wars. Lectures fees vary; members get discounted tickets. Tickets go on sale September 10.

“Hidden Universe”

Experience an extraordinary journey into space. Explore the earliest galaxies, travel the terrain of Mars, and peer deep inside the universe’s most mysterious nebulae where stars are born in The Hackworth IMAX^® Dome Theater – the largest dome screen in the West at 8-stories high. Extra fee applies to IMAX films

For more information on The Tech’s events, visit:http://www.thetech.org/ 

Tickets for the exhibition are on sale now. Tickets to the exhibition also includes admission to the regular museum galleries.

Schedule of Programming

Jedi^™ Nights presented by ScholarShare College Savings Plan

Thursday, October 31, 2013

6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Friday, January 17, 2014

6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 1 (for members only)

6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Hands-on Science Workshop - Jedi^™ Tech

Please visit http://www.thetech.org/ for a schedule of workshop times.

The Tech Connects

Star Wars: Film to Phenomenon

Sunday, October 27, 2013, 2:00 p.m.

Steve Sansweet in conversation with Angie Coiro

The Star Wars Model Shop

Sunday, December 15, 2013, 2:00 p.m.

Lorne Peterson in conversation with Angie Coiro

Droids & Tales from the Set

Sunday, January 19, 2014, 2:00 p.m.

Don Bies in conversation with Angie Coiro

The Star Wars Women

Sunday, February 16, 2014, 2:00 p.m.

Kim Smith and Carol Bauman in conversation with Angie Coiro

“Hidden Universe”

Please visit http://www.thetech.org/ for a schedule of film showings.