On more than 1,000 square meters, the entire history of toys is staged with state-of-the-art media technology, from tin toys to model railroads. As a "motorized conferencer", an ABB robot presents selected exhibits at the beginning of the exhibition, playfully demonstrating the entire spectrum of the museum and acting as a guide to the various themed areas. Märklin thus creates a very special kind of "Visitor Journey".

Märklin products make both long-time collectors and young model train fans wide-eyed. Since June 2021, the saga and myth of the Märklin brand and its products can be experienced in the new Märklineum museum right next to the main factory in the Swabian town of Göppingen. On more than 1,000 square meters of exhibition space, visitors go on a journey through more than 160 years of fascinating company development: from tin toys to doll's houses, steam engines, carousels, model cars, aircraft and ship models to model trains. As the market leader, Märklin today serves all key segments of the model train market and connects generations. Visitors to the Märklineum can experience model trains on a 200 square meter model railway layout, which is accessible on two levels and will continue to take shape even after the opening.

Telling, staging, showing: The Märklineum is more than just a toy exhibition. It tells stories, stages themes and turns looking into a multimedia experience. In the museum concept - developed by the Etschmann Noack interior design office and the exhibition and multimedia designers from bauer & bauer medienbüro in Nuremberg - an ABB IRB 1200 robot plays a central role right at the start of the exhibition. Visitors pass a glass cube with the ABB robot placed in the middle - as a so-called "motorized conferencer": Interactive and supported by multimedia elements, it presents various exhibits, each representing an exhibition area. "The aim is for visitors to get to know the entire product history of Märklin and the scope of the museum in a playful and original way. With the robot, we have also integrated an attraction for young and old into the concept," says Johannes Noack, Managing Director of the interior design office Etschmann Noack GmbH.

The shelves in the cube, from which the robot removes selected exhibits, are a systematic continuation of Märklin's legendary "tower room". From the very beginning of toy production, samples, exclusive products and drawings were stored and kept there. Only a few employees and dealers ever had access to the valuable collection.

Interaction with the visitor

Using a touchscreen on the outside of the cube, the visitor selects which of the eight exhibits from all Märklin eras - from model trains and a carousel to model cars - they would like to see and have presented by the robot. The robot then removes the exhibit to be presented, which is mounted on a specially made tray, from the shelf. A special gripper was developed for this purpose, which is attached to the IRB 1200 and guarantees safety when handling the valuable exhibits. Once the exhibit has been removed from the shelf, the ABB robot performs a slow presentation movement through the cube that is standardized and programmed for all exhibits. This allows visitors to view the object in detail from all sides.

Two flatscreens in the cube provide visitors with valuable additional information on the object on display, such as technical data, product drawings or the point in the exhibition where the subject area is examined in more detail. "The installation is intended as an interactive table of contents for the exhibition. After the presentation, the robot puts the object back on the shelf and is ready to present another object," explains Christian Bauer, Managing Director, bauer & bauer medienbüro GmbH.

The robot controller of the IRB 1200 is connected to the media technology for the visitor interface on the touchscreen via an interface. When the visitor selects an exhibit on the touchscreen, the robot controller receives the impulse to start the defined "presentation program". Until this is completed, the visitor cannot select a new exhibit - the touchscreen is locked, so to speak. Once the exhibit is back on the shelf and the robot has returned to its starting position, the robot controller sends a signal to the media technology, which releases the touchscreen for a new selection.

From production to the museum

"An industrial robot in the museum instead of in production - with this step, we at Märklin have taken the ABB robot out of its normal working environment. We are also enabling our visitors to interact with it directly. The robot once again demonstrates its versatility," says Florian Sieber, Managing Director of Märklin. ABB robots have already been providing support in the production of model railroads for several years. For example, an IRB 2600 industrial robot is responsible for removing model parts from the die-casting machine - including subsequent quality inspection. Based on the positive experience and internal know-how regarding the handling, programming and maintenance of the robots, Märklin decided to rely on ABB solutions in the Märklineum as well. In addition to robots, ABB also supplied power supply and safety technology solutions for the new Märklineum through its subsidiary ABB Stotz-Kontakt.