Copyright Hayes Davidson

• Interact with a family of cutting edge robots
• Use infrared cameras to see an "invisible" sculpture
• See other new sculptures by leading contemporary artists
• Marvel at the giant South American Leaf Cutter Ants
• Unravel the mysteries of the Mind through technology

Visitors to the Dome's Mind zone will be able to change their race or even their gender. Special morphing machines, originally used by the FBI but now upgraded and having their world premiere in the Dome, will feature in Mind along with a family of interactive 21st Century robots, new sculptures by leading artists and even a colony of giant South American ants. Designed by Zaha Hadid, Mind is jointly sponsored by British Aerospace and Marconi both of whom are providing advice and technology.

Using advanced technology in unique and exciting ways, a selection of leading artists and scientists are creating up to twenty stimulating exhibits for Mind. These exhibits will help visitors unlock the mysteries of the mind, delve into the world of perception and illusion and celebrate the power of creativity. The attractions will be housed in an extraordinary architectural landscape that appears to defy gravity - a maze-like structure, like no other in the world. The journey through Mind will take visitors into tunnels, wide open decks, corridors, chambers and even hidden staircases.

Mind will also be the world's first "intelligent" building. Using revolutionary technology developed by British Aerospace in partnership with Southampton-based firm Smart Fibres, Mind will appear to "live" and "breathe" by communicating with its operators.

Exhibits inside the zone will use similar cutting edge technology in their exploration of the mind. One of these exhibits – Working Brain – will take visitors on an amazing 3D journey through the human brain by using highly advanced Marconi medical imaging technology. Other exhibits will also show how technology is constantly improving our perception of the world around us and enhancing our understanding of the mind. It will also be used to trick the minds of visitors, to reveal their powers of perception and even to challenge their sense of self as they change their race or gender.

Leading contemporary artists who are producing specially commissioned pieces of art include Turner Prize winner Richard Deacon as well as "Sensation" artists Gavin Turk, and Ron Mueck. The late Helen Chadwick's "Self Portrait" (left) will also be displayed.

Visitors will pass though four sections that explore different aspects of the mind:

1. What is a Mind? – this area, located in the entrance tunnel, explores what we mean by a "mind". Highlights include the Robot Zoo, Helen Chadwick's "Self Portrait", a new wooden sculpture by Turner Prize winner Richard Deacon and an exhibit that uses advanced brain scanning imagery to explore the working brain. Visitors will also gain their first glimpse of the ant colony in this tunnel.
2. Perception and Illusion – the second section of Mind looks at the world of perception and illusion, how the mind plays tricks on us and how technology is allowing us to see the world in new ways. Attractions include an "invisible" sculpture by Gavin Turk (only visible by using infrared cameras that can then be turned on friends) and a new 4.6 metre high figure by Ron Mueck. An optical illusion will also challenge the minds of visitors while a new film - "The Scale of Time and Space" – by New Renaissance will show how technology is changing our perception of the world.
3. Mind to Mind – the third section of Mind looks at the world of language, the ways in which minds communicate with each other and the impact of collective thinking. It also looks at the role that communications technology is playing in revolutionising the flow of information across the globe. Attractions include a colony of giant Leaf Cutter ants and an interactive Internet Web Stalker exhibit.
4. Potential and Identity – the final section of the journey through Mind celebrates the potential of the mind, our unique ability to choose between different futures and the relationship between our mind and our sense of self. Attractions include the acoustic dislocation chamber, a futuristic interactive game and the morphing machines that allow visitors to change their race or gender.

Intelligent Buildings

The Dome's Mind zone will take the concept of the "intelligent" building to a new level, allowing visitors to see how the structure reacts to their weight.  Utilising revolutionary technology developed by British Aerospace in partnership with Southampton-based firm Smart Fibres, Mind will appear to "live" and "breathe" by communicating with its operators.

The technology employed will make Mind one of the world's most "intelligent" buildings with sensors throughout the structure providing continuous real-time reports on load bearing and local temperatures.

Using structural load analysis diagrams, six high-strain locations have been pinpointed on the steel structure of the Mind zone. Optical fibre strain sensors, fabricated into an optical wire with a cross section as small as a human hair, have been surface bonded onto the steel beams to monitor the loading at each of these locations. In addition, there will be an optical sensor at each location to monitor the corresponding temperature. All the information on strain and temperature will be fed back to the hardware interface unit, where it is processed and analysed.

The Smart Fibres system technology literally gives the Mind zone its own "nervous system" feeding information into a central "brain." The system will monitor key load bearing points on the zone both with and without visitors. Visitors to the zone will be able to see the loading measurements, and gain an appreciation of the principle behind "intelligent" structures. It will also be useful for the structural design engineers to see the actual loading on the structure compared with their estimated figures.

The potential of Smart Fibres technology is enormous, and the scope of immediate applications ranges from aerospace structures, offshore operations, oil pipelines, underground tunnels, Formula One racing cars to traffic monitoring on bridges.

The system demonstrated in the Mind zone will act as a model for future planning and assessment of how structures actually behave in their operating environments, throughout their entire lifetimes. By looking at the state of a structure on an ongoing basis, it will become possible to arrange preventative maintenance, saving costly structural inspection and downtime.

• Sponsored by British Aerospace and Marconi (GEC plc)