Artificial intelligence is ubiquitous in our daily lives, but the enormous amount of energy required for these computational processes usually goes unnoticed. To raise awareness of this very issue, IT employee and student in the Information Technology degree program Pranish KC designed a very special exhibit. Together with Benedikt Lücke, the finished AI energy ergometer has now been set up and made operational at the museum in Bonn’s Plittersdorf district.
Six Levels from Power Generation to an AI Clip
The principle behind the demonstrator is very simple, but physically demanding: Museum visitors must pedal to generate electrical energy. The goal is to “pedal through” a total of six different levels, which illustrate the increasing energy demands of modern technology.
The scale ranges from simple responsibilities like turning on a PC (Level 1) to the ultimate challenge: generating a five-second AI video clip (Level 6). Anyone who wants to reach this final level quickly realizes just how much physical energy is behind the complex algorithms running in the background.
Demonstrator Sparks Ambition
At the official launch and handover by Pranish KC and Benedikt Lücke, Ralph Burmester and Jörg Bradenahl from the museum’s management were immediately impressed. After the successful setup, the participants and museum staff couldn’t resist putting the device through its paces right away. Their competitive spirit was immediately sparked: a lighthearted competition quickly broke out over who could make it through all six levels the fastest.
Continuation of a Successful Collaboration
The AI ergometer, whose prototype was developed as part of the AI Academy project, is already the second exhibit that the Lemgo Research Institute has created for the Deutsches Museum Bonn. The successful collaboration is set to continue. During the handover, the first inspiring ideas for further joint exhibits and demonstrators were already forged, with the aim of continuing to make complex science understandable and tangible.
The AI ergometer is now on display at the Deutsches Museum Bonn and awaits guests who are eager to experiment—and stay active!
