BATON ROUGE, La. — Secretary of State Nancy Landry announces that the Old Governor’s Mansion will host a free interactive educational program highlighting robots and other technology from 12 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 2. In partnership with the LSU College of Engineering’s Department of Construction Management, “From Retro to Robots” will chronicle technological breakthroughs of yesterday and today.
“Together with LSU’s Department of Construction Management in the College of Engineering, we are creating something that has never been done here before,” said Dr. Sinella Aghasi, executive director of the Old Governor’s Mansion. “’Retro to Robots’ will bring Huey Long’s unmistakable voice and personality into our tours through cutting-edge technology. With this partnership, we are making history more accessible, more engaging, and more unforgettable than ever before.”
The interdisciplinary endeavor will provide guests several unique experiences:
· Build and Play: Get hands-on with mini construction trucks and equipment.
· Meet a Quadruped and a Rover: Say hello to a friendly robotic companion, Pepper, and interact with an omnidirectional robot, Salt, equipped with a mobile robotic arm.
· Experience Robot Control in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: Control the quadruped robot in a fully immersive VR construction site and explore in an interactive AR experience.
· Tour the Mansion with a Robot: Explore the mansion alongside a friendly social robot guide, Cinnamon.
· Step Inside the Mansion in VR: Experience the historic governor’s mansion in a new immersive way.
· Control Robotic Arms and Tiny Bots: Load, move, and manipulate objects using robotic systems.
· See 3D Printing in Action: Watch objects get created layer-by-layer, then take home a printed souvenir.
· Peruse Progress: See pieces of past technology that helped make today possible.
As part of the First Free Sunday initiative, the Old Governor’s Mansion will join other museums across Baton Rouge and open its doors to the public, free of charge, from 12 to 4 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month.
The Old Governor’s Mansion, along with the Secretary of State’s eight other museums, brings the stories of Louisiana and its people to life through exhibitions and educational programming. Admission to the museum is free, and the museum is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about the Old Governor’s Mansion, visit www.laogm.org or call 225-342-9778.