Tan DingXiang
Anyone who’s been to the Science Centre Singapore would’ve come across old favourites like the imaginative sci-fi treasure trove i-SPACE, the acoustic fascination of the Sound Exhibition, the boggling optical illusions featured in The Mind’s Eye, and even the lush, natural greenery of the Ecogarden.
Now, a new member has joined the family of permanent installments at the 33-year-old Jurong East educational facility – Uniquely You.
The exhibition was officially launched on Nov 9 by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, and Science Centre Board Chairman Wee Heng Tin, with Chief Executive Lim Tit Meng giving a welcome address.
Uniquely You probes deeply into what makes a human, human. But what differentiates it from the Science Centre’s past human-body-related installations is its shift in focus from merely exploring cells and body parts.
Instead, according to Associate Professor Lim, “genetic heritage, environment, and lifestyle influences” take centre stage, together with a display of how modern technology is shaping biological research today.
The UrbanWire looks at the main highlights of the exhibition.
All stripped down: the Body Mirror
Imagine yourself without any skin. Or any muscles. Just bare bones. It’d be a cinch to visualize your bodily structures with the help of life-size models, but the Body Mirror makes it just that much easier.
Stepping into the black-carpeted zone automatically gives you control of the animated figure on the screen. With a swipe of your hand, you can switch swiftly to different views of your insides. Want to have a closer look at your circulatory system? Wave once. Curious to find out where that funny-looking bone is? Wave again, and the figure transitions almost instantaneously to the next view.
And if these features aren’t lifelike enough to you, get this: the figure moves to match your body, mimicking even the slightest bit of fidgeting. This turned out to be the most played-with function of the Body Mirror, as visitors amused themselves by making the Body Mirror their augmented reality dance floor.
Measuring stress: You Under Pressure
Nested in a corner, a small 3-seater chamber awaits, equipped with a widescreen and a surround sound system. But this is no ordinary mini-theatre. The comfy seats that make up part of its décor are armed with stress meters.
Resting my finger on the sensitive thumb pad, the on-screen animation instantaneously changed, simulating different scenarios aimed at putting my 2 fellow viewers and I under a certain level of duress.
Babies crying, cars honking, and other loud noises made up the first 100 seconds of the experience, before we found respite, calmed by the rustic sounds of flowing water and visions of undulating greenery.
At the end of the exercise, which lasted almost 4 minutes, a graph showing our levels of stress at different junctures was charted. And judging from my own results, which were in the ‘high’ range, it looks like a break is due!
Peering into the future – You At Sixty
Say hello to ‘You at Sixty’ – you don’t need a crystal ball to see how you’d look like in the future any more!
The prediction procedure’s simple: key in your age, race, your weight profile, and whether or not you smoke. Proceed to peer at the camera and click on the ‘capture’ icon, and you’re done.
Now, don’t belittle this seemingly innocuous computer-webcam setup.
In fact, the results You at Sixty gives are shockingly realistic, with changes in skin tone, crow’s feet, wrinkles, and all.
There was just one grouse I had with the set-up: many users, including me, had to pull back their hair so the computer could generate a 60-year-old’s wrinkles, before being able to superimpose them onto their faces properly.
Is that supposed photo of me at 60 an accurate prediction? I guess I’ll have to wait 41 years to find out.