Research @ InScience

During InScience we let the audience experience how scientific research is done. Scientists conduct research during the festival in which scientific imagination is central. As a visitor you can participate in this on Saturday and Sunday, for example by chatting with a robot or by Tindering with avatars. You can also play a text-based adventure game about the serious consequences of climate change.

Chatting with a robot
Social robots are increasingly appearing in society. But does it actually feel like having a conversation with a robot? The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam team investigates how different aspects of robots affect how you experience that interaction. Chat with one of our robots and experience for yourself what it feels like. (20-30 minutes)

Tinder with avatars
Scientists are increasingly using Virtual Reality in their research. But what do you actually think of those virtual characters? In this playful experiment, a team from the Max Planck Institute and the Donders Institute investigates the relationship between real and digital people. Watch videos of avatars and rate how understandable, likeable and human they are.

What do you see in your imagination?
Some people have very vivid mental images when thinking, while others think little or not at all in images. Researchers from Radboud University and Western University are investigating how mental imagination differs between people and what effect this has on language processing. Test your own imagination by taking part in this short computer experiment.

Stressful saliva
Do you start drooling at the idea of going to the dentist? Or does your mouth feel dry like a desert? Researchers of the Radboudumc are looking for participants to study the role of stress on saliva production. Do not miss this opportunity to contribute to and learn about oral healthcare and science.

Can you beat this robot?
Wondering if you have faster reflexes than this robot? Try it out now! In this Radboud University research into human-robot interaction, you play a reaction time game against a small, fast robot.

Back to the present
You are in 2050 and the city is unlivable, hot and dry. Climate change has had serious consequences. What can you do? In this text-based adventure game from Radboud University, you go back to 2023 and you get the chance to counter the temperature rise in 2050 by making all kinds of choices.

Fathers in the spotlight
Do fathers do less than mothers? Or are our measuring instruments simply wrong? Researchers at Radboud University want to know more about fatherhood – what role do fathers play in parenting? And what do children actually think of their fathers? You can share your thoughts about fatherhood with these researchers.

Festival mood
At festivals it is very busy in some places. How do visitors make decisions about the locations they visit? A team from Radboud University visualizes how visitors move around the InScience site. Talk to them about how you get from A to B at the festival.