Animated spinosaurus, glowing orbs and much more at VITM

New facilities launched as the museum enters its 50th year

‘Science on a Sphere’ was launched to mark the 50th anniversary of Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum in Bangalore on Monday. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

A large, glowing orb suspended from the ceiling suddenly comes to life. Clouds appear, morph, travel and dissolve. Oceans become dynamic, and uniquely different landscapes come into sharp focus.

‘Science on a sphere’ is among the many new faciltites at the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) which is celebrating its 50th year. The animated globe uses multimedia to project images of a changing atmosphere, ocean dynamics and landscapes to create a powerful and fun education tool, even as it adds a new layer to the museum’s outreach programme.

In another hall at VITM, dinosaurs come to life in the form of life-size models that move and roar. Among these giant reptiles that inhabited the planet over 100 million years ago, was the giant Spinosaurus that roamed North America. The museum has recreated this creature — known for the spines on its back — and its Triassic habitat. Then there is the gallery titled ‘How machines work’, dedicated to the genius of machines, demystifying everything from the pulley system to ballpoint pens. At the inauguration of the Golden Jubilee Year celebrations of the museum on Monday, former chairman of Indian Space research Organisation, U.R. Rao, had a message for parents. “Let children choose what they want to study. It is only then that we will find new scientists to shape the world,” he said.