Machines in Motion

Discover the journey from moving machines to intelligent motion in a Christmas lecture with live demonstrations and a humanoid robot.
About this Event

This Christmas, Transmission Dynamics is bringing to The Glasshouse: a live lecture tracing how we progressed from making things move to creating machines that can understand and control their own motion.

Through live demonstrations, music and real engineering investigations, explore the discoveries that made this possible. Beginning with the mechanisms that transmit movement, the journey reveals how engineers came to understand vibration, measure the physical world and control motion with remarkable precision.

Presented by Professor Jarek Rosinski. Engineer, inventor, founder of Transmission Dynamics, and Professor in Practice at Durham University. Jarek brings decades of vibroacoustics and machine dynamics experience to reveal how centuries of mechanical discovery have led to modern intelligent machines.

What can you expect?

• Discover what makes machines move. See how gears, belts and other mechanisms transfer movement and power.
• See movement usually hidden from view. Explore how structures bend, twist and vibrate, and how the same physical principles connect machinery with music.
• Investigate alongside the engineers. Discover what measurements can reveal about a machine’s behaviour and how that knowledge helps us control its movement.
• Encounter intelligent motion. Meet Zomet, a humanoid robot, and explore how mechanisms, sensors and control systems come together with artificial intelligence to enable it to balance, move and respond.

Created for young people aged 11–17 and their families, the lecture welcomes both established enthusiasts and those discovering engineering for the first time. No specialist knowledge is needed, just curiosity about how the world works.

Supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Machines in Motion is delivered by Transmission Dynamics with support from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), a global professional community dedicated to improving the world through engineering. Its work includes supporting engineers throughout their careers and inspiring the next generation to explore the possibilities of engineering.

Find out more about Machines in Motion here.