Preview of the New Escape Room from the Award-Winning Kitty Q App

03/06/2024

Germany's first escape room on quantum physics will be open to the public at the SPIN2030 Science Festival in Dresden on 8 and 9 March. It is based on the work of the Dresden-Würzburg Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat.

Testing cold chips! The Kitty Q Escape Room – the first quantum physics-themed escape room in Germany for youngsters – is being built at the Dresden Museum of Science and Technology. The four enigmatic rooms in the quantum apartment are currently being set up. And the first quantum conundrum – a puzzle table devoted to the theme of cold chips – can be tried out live at the SPIN2030 Science Festival on March 8 and 9, 2024. (Image: amdx.de/Michael Feser)

She's cute, half-dead and the namesake of an award-winning app for kids and teens: Kitty Q. An escape room for the popular mobile phone game is currently being created at the Dresden Museum of Science and Technology. The setting: a mysterious box with four puzzling rooms full of quantum physics, in which visitors can playfully learn more about the crazy world of quantum physics phenomena. On 8 and 9 March 2024, interested visitors will be able to marvel at the new attraction for the first time – at a preview as part of the SPIN2030 Science Festival organised by the Dresden-Würzburg Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat.

Kitty Q loves chips, cold chips

“In this preview of the escape room, we want to ignite visitors’ curiosity and show them something of the benefits our fundamental research has to offer,” emphasizes Matthias Vojta, professor of theoretical solid-state physics at the university TU Dresden and ct.qmat’s Dresden spokesperson. The preview will focus on the subject of cold chips – next-generation computer chips made from novel quantum materials that don’t get hot when electricity passes through them. Their energy-efficient design promises to redefine the future of technology. “We all know what an overheated smartphone feels like! Our daily gadgets dissipate considerable heat when in use,” explains Vojta. “At ct.qmat, we’re exploring the class of materials called topological insulators that could eliminate heat generation in electronic devices.”

Award-Winning Inspiration

The conception of the Kitty Q Escape Room draws inspiration from ct.qmat’s acclaimed mobile game Kitty Q – A Quantum Adventure. Since its launch in autumn 2021, it’s been downloaded more than half a million times worldwide and has won international awards such as the Goldener Spatz in the DIGITAL category at the German children’s media festival Goldener Spatz 2022. What’s more, at the Google Play Indie Games Festival 2022, it was voted one of the top ten European game apps in the Play Store. As a result, Kitty Q now even has its very own German Wikipedia entry! Like the mobile game, the real-life adventure will be playable in both German and English.

The Kitty Q Escape Room is a collaborative endeavor between ct.qmat, the Dresden Museum of Science and Technology, and app designer Philipp Stollenmayer, who came up with the appearance of the cute, half-dead cat and also designed her captivating environment.

Catch a Glimpse of Kitty Q at SPIN2030

On March 8 and 9, 2024, ct.qmat will be showcasing a sneak preview of its new quantum adventure – the Kitty Q Escape Room – as one of the highlights of scientific Saxony at the SPIN2030 Science Festival. Hosted by the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism, the festival will be held at the Dresden Museum of Science and Technology. Visitors can put their puzzle-solving skills to the test at the Cold Chips puzzle table, which will soon be part of the kitchen in the cryptic quantum apartment. The festival will also feature a gaming lounge where visitors can explore ct.qmat’s award-winning mobile game Kitty Q – A Quantum Adventure together with app designer Philipp Stollenmayer. In addition, young scientists will be on hand to answer questions about the fascinating quantum world.

Professor Matthias Vojta will be available to answer questions at the Meet the Scientist table on March 8 from 1 to 2 p.m. and on March 9 from 3 to 4 p.m. (2nd floor, Wellenreiter). The SPIN2030 Science Festival will take place on Friday, March 8, 2024, from 12 noon to 10 p.m. (Exhibit World until 6 p.m.), and Saturday, March 9, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Technische Sammlungen Dresden (Junghansstrasse 1–3, 01277 Dresden). Admission free.

Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat

The Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter has been jointly run by Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg and Technische Universität (TU) Dresden since 2019. Over 300 scientists from more than thirty countries and four continents study topological quantum materials that reveal surprising phenomena under extreme conditions such as ultra-low temperatures, high pressure, or strong magnetic fields. ct.qmat is funded through the German Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments and is the only Cluster of Excellence in Germany to be based in two different federal states.