How did the idea to create the “Brain Museum” come about, and who invented it?
The idea to create the Brain Museum belongs to neurobiologist Ilya Martynov and producer Rodion Irodionov. Our team now consists of four people who are constantly working on the project: me, Ilya Martynov, Rodion Irodionov, and Artem Sabitov — our founder. Initially the guys organized events such as openminds* and “Brain Day” in Saint Petersburg. Then Rodion came up with the idea that it would be great to create a permanent project about how our brain works. That’s how the exhibition “Brain: the Universe Inside Us” was born. And the name Brain Museum came “from the people.” When we opened, one of the first visitors left the hashtag #музеймозга in a post about their visit, and we thought it was a wonderful name. Now we call ourselves the “Interactive Brain Museum” because we sit at the intersection of education and entertainment.
* From English “open mind” — “open mind.” The expression means openness to new things, receptivity, lack of prejudice, flexible thinking and mental agility.
What is the concept of the museum?
Our slogan is: “Useful entertainment for the whole family.” The concept of the museum is to explain the basic laws of how the human brain works in an interactive, non-boring way, and to do so through the senses. Our program is structured so that museum guests can learn about and feel how the brain works through tactile, visual, and auditory perception. For group school visits we have a separate product — lectures. They are divided by age groups, and for each group of children we explain how the brain works in accessible language within half an hour. We would like children, from the earliest age, to know the basic principles of how this vital organ functions.
Toy car track
What guided tour programs are offered at the museum, and are there programs for children?
A unified program runs in the museums in Petersburg and Moscow, aimed at schoolchildren of all ages. In Petersburg the program covers grades 1 through 11, while in Moscow we currently run tours for schoolchildren in grades 4 through 11. We offer tour programs such as “Brain and Memory” and “Brain and Attention.” There are also specific programs that interest older students. For example, “The Brain of Billy Milligan” — about a man who harbored 24 personalities. For each age we choose an appropriate style of presentation: younger pupils respond well to interactive elements, while older students are more interested in informational content. Adults can also book a group tour. If you come as a regular visitor, you explore the museum on your own, but in the neurointerfaces zone a curator assists you. Neurointerfaces are gadgets that read brain rhythms. With them you can, using the power of concentration, race cars on the track, play mental football, and control spider robots. A special headband-style helmet is placed on you, and the neurointerface reads the beta rhythms of your brain. If you concentrate, the little spider runs fast; if you concentrate weakly, the spider runs slower; and nothing happens at all if you do not concentrate.
Spider robots are an important part of the interactive program in the neurointerfaces zone
How are innovations and interactive technologies integrated into the museum’s exhibition?
First and foremost we show people the principles of how neurointerfaces work. Everyone knows about Elon Musk’s Neuralink*, and people are very curious about how it works, so at the very first step we show how you can learn something about your brain even from the skull. A neurointerface looks like a band with electrodes that is placed on the head. The operating principle of the neurointerface is comparable to electroencephalography (EEG), but the difference is that the process picks up specific impulses from the frontal lobes. The neurointerface processes incoming information and, using an algorithm, turns a motor on or off — for example, on a spider robot. By the way, one of our co-founders, Ilya Martynov, was the scientific director of the “Center for Brain Development,” which operates across the country. He and his colleagues used neurointerface technology to help children with ADHD*. They had interesting programs that improved certain aspects of attention.
* Neuralink — an American neurotechnology company founded by inventor, engineer, businessman and billionaire Elon Musk, planning to develop and manufacture implantable neuro-computer interfaces. On January 28, 2024 the first person received a Neuralink implant and is recovering well.
* Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A disorder of the nervous system that manifests in characteristic child behavior and requires intervention.
There’s a lot of interesting stuff in the interactive zone!
Tell us about the museum’s plans for the future?
The Petersburg museum has been operating for 6 years; the Moscow museum has been open for 7 months. We would like to open other museums and are striving for that, but are currently looking for opportunities. Our mission is to explain how the brain works to as many people as possible, so we will keep trying.
