Masks and vaccinations are recommended. Plan your visit
Tactile & Touch
Black Sand
At this simple but ever-popular exhibit, black sand from nearby beaches make spiky patterns that reveal the invisible magnetic field between the poles of two giant magnets.
Bronze Hand
The combination of past experience and the sight and feel of being touched seems to change your brain's definition of your body's boundaries. You may even feel as if the fake hand is part of you.
Sensitive Plants
Gently touch these plants and see how they respond.
Where: Gallery 4: Living Systems
Tactile Dome
Learn about the history of the Tactile Dome, our largest interactive exhibit.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Velvet Hands
A surprising—and as yet unexplained—tactile illusion can occur when you slowly rub your palms across this mesh. You may feel a strange, slippery sensation, as if there’s a thin film of velvet between your hands.
