Here, however, creativity is something pleasant that turns unlimited imagination into reality.
Visit the Idea Factory and Kids Maker Studio at the Gwacheon National Science Museum,
where kids can have fun realizing their ideas and grown-ups can make their own creations.
From imagination to reality : Idea Factory
Opened in August 2013, the Idea Factory at the Gwacheon National Science Museum aims to discover ideas reflecting the creativity and imagination of the general public and to provide the space, equipment, and materials required for manufacturing based on such ideas.
To help materialize various ideas and concepts into physical products, the Idea Factory comprises diverse spaces for painting, designing, ICT software design, laser cutting, SF studio work, 3D printing, and the facilitation of imaginative knowhow.
The most notable space is the printing room, in which 3D printers produce objects based on 3D modeling; the Idea Factory currently has eight 3D printers. Other popular spaces are the SF studio and sound room, which are used for making films or music.
Each space in the Idea Factory bears the traces of the passion of its creators. Visitors can witness the electric cars produced here, the materials left from previous work, and people who are concentrating on creating quality products. What consistently fills the Idea Factory is the enthusiasm of those visit the museum to give shape to their imagination.
Enrich imagination : Kids Maker Studio
Whereas the Idea Factory is mainly designed for students from their early teens to grown-ups, the Kids Maker Studio is for young children between the ages of five and ten. As it was created as part of a program sponsored by Google, the Kids Maker Studio has the autograph of CEO Eric Schmidt of Alphabet, the holding company of Google, who participated in its opening ceremony. This place was recently used to hold an art-tech workshop on stop-motion techniques led by Ashley Meadows, who is in charge of art science programs at the Smithsonian museums in the United States. In this workshop, participants were encouraged to directly film figures and create animation films using stop-motion techniques with smart devices. The participants were able to easily understand the technology by going through the process of making the storyline, filming each scene in the plot, and creating a package of animation.
'Hall of Fame' and 'Nobel Prize & I'
Opposite the Idea Factory, there are two exhibition rooms called 'Hall of Fame' and 'Nobel Prize & I.' The former introduces scientists who have contributed to the progress of science and technology, and to the outstanding achievements of Korea. Touring the exhibits on various scientists and their research in a number of fields including electricity, gunpowder, and medicine, young visitors are encouraged to learn about the scientific accomplishments and plan a science-related career.
The 'Nobel Prize & I' exhibition room consists of separated spaces for each category: medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and economic sciences. This place introduces Nobel-winning technologies closely related to our daily lives and found in our living rooms, kitchens, automobiles, and smartphones. One corner of the exhibition room is dedicated to presenting interesting stories about the Nobel Prize; visitors can also enjoy video materials featuring the Nobel banquet and its magnificent festival.
