Robots, a major new exhibition at the Science Museum, explores humanity’s 500-year quest to reimagine ourselves – not through paintings or sculpture – but as machines. This exhibition features a unique collection of over 100 robots, from a 16th-century mechanical monk to robots from science fiction and modern-day research labs. Set in five different times, Robots explores how religious belief, the industrial revolution, popular culture and dreams about the future have all shaped society through the incredible robots on display.

Recent developments from robotics research are also on show, with visitors able to explore how and, more importantly, why roboticists are building robots that resemble us and interact in human-like ways. The exhibition encourages visitors to imagine what a shared future with robots would be like, with visitors able to see the latest humanoid robots in action.

Open until 3 September 2017