ROBOTS The 500-year quest to make machines human

A blockbuster exhibition that explored the 500-year story of humanoid robots and the artistic and scientific quest to understand what it means to be human.

From the dawn of mechanised human forms to cutting-edge technology fresh from the lab, Robots reveals the astonishing 500-year quest to make machines human.

Focusing on why they exist rather than on how they work, our blockbuster exhibition explores the ways robots mirror humanity and the insights they offer into our ambitions, desires and position in a rapidly changing world.

Robots took visitors on an incredible journey spanning five centuries, illustrated with robotic artefacts from around the globe. Visitors could watch as 16 mechanical forms sprung to life and even interact with some of the robots on display.

Set in five different periods and places, the exhibition uncovered how robots and society have been shaped by religious belief, the Industrial Revolution, 20th century popular culture and our dreams of the future. The gallery featured a unique collection of over 100 robots, from a 16th-century mechanical monk to robots from science fiction and modern-day research labs.

Recent developments from robotics research were also on show, encouraging visitors to explore how and, more importantly, why roboticists are building robots that resemble us and interact in human-like ways.