Technology Exhibits in London: Interactive Displays, Science Museums, and Hands-On Innovation

When you think of technology exhibits, physical displays that let you touch, test, and play with modern and historic tech. Also known as interactive science displays, they turn abstract ideas into something you can feel—whether it’s controlling a robot arm, stepping into a virtual rainforest, or seeing the first computer that cracked codes in World War II. These aren’t just glass cases with dusty gadgets. They’re places where curiosity becomes action.

London’s best science museums, institutions dedicated to making science and engineering understandable through real-world examples like the Science Museum in South Kensington don’t just show you how things work—they let you break them, fix them, and rebuild them. You can pilot a drone through an obstacle course, design your own app on a touchscreen wall, or hear how a 1940s code machine sounded when it was cracking Nazi messages. Meanwhile, newer spots like the innovation centers London, spaces where startups, engineers, and the public collaborate on real tech projects in Shoreditch and King’s Cross turn tech into a living experiment. You might walk in to see a demo of AI that predicts traffic, and walk out helping train it.

What makes these exhibits different from a regular museum? You don’t just watch—you participate. A child can code a robot to dance. A tourist can simulate a spacewalk. A student can see how a smartphone’s battery evolved from lead-acid to lithium-ion in under five minutes. These aren’t passive tours. They’re learning experiences built on trial, error, and fun. And they’re not just for kids. Many adults visit just to see how the first GPS device looked in 1978, or to try a VR re-creation of the London Underground in the 1860s.

You’ll find interactive displays, touchscreens, motion sensors, and augmented reality setups that respond to your movements and choices everywhere—from the basement of the Science Museum to pop-up exhibits in old warehouses near Canary Wharf. Some use your phone as a controller. Others track your heartbeat to change the lighting in a room. The best ones don’t need instructions. You just know what to do.

There’s no ticket needed for every exhibit. Many free galleries in London’s top museums rotate their tech displays every few months. You might see a 3D-printed replica of a Roman aqueduct one week, and a robot that paints portraits the next. The key is showing up often—because the tech changes faster than the seasons.

Whether you’re here for a day or living in the city, these exhibits give you a real sense of how technology shapes London—not just as a city of history, but as one that’s still inventing. You’ll walk away not just with photos, but with questions: What will the next breakthrough be? How does this change how we live? And maybe, just maybe, you’ll leave with an idea of your own.

Below, you’ll find real stories from people who’ve explored these spaces—from hidden tech pop-ups to the must-see exhibits that keep locals coming back year after year.