SENSE Festival | Hirnkastl

Visual & Auditory Illusions (DIY)

We learn especially much about our senses when they are deceived! Illusions are therefore a tool to decipher the mechanisms behind our perception - without expensive equipment. Aristotle already described an effect in which the seen movement of the environment is reversed if one only observes a waterfall long enough. Today, we know that this effect is caused by fatiguing nerve cells that recognize movement.

Can robots see? (DIY)

Artificial intelligence attempts to replicate human perception - for example, the recognition of objects - on the computer. To do this, engineers use neural networks that function very similarly to our brains. At this station, discover how well this now works and where computers still make mistakes.

Climb into virtual reality (DIY)

Here you can experience how it feels to climb walls on a beach. Many senses are activated while you act with your own body. The term virtual reality was first used in 1982 in The Judas Mandala by Damien Broderick. What do you feel while moving in virtual reality?

Behind plant currents (supervised experiment).

Plants react to environmental influences. Many crops send electrical signals and these can even be measured. Stimuli are touch, burning or even animals feeding. Plants respond with growth changes and defense substances. At this station you can see what such signals look like and how they can be caused.

Behind insect senses (DIY)

Immerse yourself in the visual system of a fly. Insects have special eyes, so-called compound eyes, with which they perceive their surroundings. Put on a pair of glasses and experience for yourself how the world appears through the eyes of a fly.

Behind our nervous system (supervised experiment)

Our whole body reacts permanently to stimuli in our environment. Here you can experience for yourself how the human nervous system processes these stimuli and decipher which language our brain uses. Measure action potentials in motor neurons and use them to control a robot or even another human being.