Written by Serguey Yakovlev

A Science Festival took place in Moscow in October 11-13. Main exposition platforms, the Main Library, Expocentre, and Shuvalov Building at MSU demonstrated the latest technological achievements, inventions and developments. The programme of the Festival offered lectures of the leading Russian and foreign scientists, among them Nobel laureates, like Frank Wilczek, Dan Shechtman, and Hal Sosabowski (Doctor Hal).

Our laboratory participated in the Festival. Among a variety of projects one could find already known robots and absolutely new ones. Balancing robot attracted the attention of children and adults who kept wondering how this robot managed to maintain balance. Young people, especially girls, got really excited when they heard their voice in the speech depersonalizer. Anyone could experience 3kW on their body and wonder why they were still alive. At the same time, not so far away, LIDAR was scanning the surrounding objects and was building a base map. Only a good old walking robot lay aside moving its legs from time to time and showing it was still functioning.

While the robots were recharging, we did our best entertaining the audience with the liquid nitrogen showing all sorts of tricks and destroying myths of the film ‘Terminator’. Everyone could soak hands in liquid nitrogen, blow some air into it; viewers could also witness how liquid nitrogen boils at room temperature and how one could freeze objects in a glass filled with it. As a result, ‘Russia’ Network wanted to film this, and we had to break a frozen flower with a hammer live on camera!

We also appeared in the footage made by the trade union of the School of Physics, where Serguey Zapunidi reports our achievement (approx. after 1:05 min of the video).