Researchers from KIOS Center of Excellence at the University of Cyprus and Imperial College London participated for the first time in the Great Exhibition Road Festival, which ran from 17-18 June 2023, in London (South Kensington). This annual celebration of science and arts, brought together museums and cultural organizations located on and around Exhibition Road, featured interactive activities, workshops, exhibitions, talks, etc.
KIOS’ stand was in the Queens Tower Rooms, as part of the “Smart Machines’ Zone”, an area designed to showcase how humans and machines will interface, interact, and influence the future. During the festival, researchers presented a game based on the KIOS Virtual City, a specially designed virtual platform, which mimics the actual operation of power, water, and transportation systems, in a city. In the game, users deal with an incident in the city, which seriously affects the operation of the systems. To ensure that the city functions properly and citizens remain happy, users become the decision-makers by taking the best actions possible.
This festival has proved to be a unique opportunity to showcase research and innovation activities carried out at KIOS CoE. By using storytelling and game playing, our researchers engaged with families, young people, and adults, and illustrated that there is a place for everyone in research, from scientists and engineers to software developers and graphic designers, and many more who provide support and expertise.
