Robot's eye view for exhibition visitors

VISITORS to a new exhibition in Sheffield which opens today will be able to look inside a robot's head to learn more about their own brains function.

The Inside TRAK exhibition, devised by Sheffield University students, will run at Access Space in Sydney Street until the end of the month.

A university spokesman said: "It hopes to demonstrate just how much is really understood about brain function by giving people the opportunity to interact with a robotic eye, named TRAK.

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"TRAK is based on the human oculomotor system, the part of the brain which decides what to look at and directs the gaze accordingly."

TRAK has been developed by psychology students at the university as part of the Reverse Engineering the Vertebrate Brain (REVERB) project.

It aims to shed light on how people decide where to look, by simulating regions of the brain known to be involved in choosing between different actions.

The spokesman added: "Visitors will be able to monitor what TRAK perceives via a display of its visual field, but they will also be able to witness the simulated brain activity driving the robot eye.

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"Images of this neural activity will also be projected onto a large sculpture of the brain.

"In this way, the audience will be able to see the results of their interaction with TRAK not only in its movements, but also in a scientifically accurate visual representation of the brain's response to that interaction."

The exhibition will also include a series of events such as talks and workshops.

A PhD student with the research group, Jen Lewis, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for people to have fun with science and to really see how much we understand about how our brains work.

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"We hope this exhibition will inspire visitors to find out more about science and see it as something that is exciting and accessible to everyone."

The free exhibition is open from 11am to 7pm each day.

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