MyMachine in Munich: When Children Build the Future

The project “MyMachine”, initiated in Germany by the Initiative Classroom Thinktank together with the MyMachine Global Foundation, continues to grow – and is developing a momentum that shows how learning can be reimagined. Following its successful launch in Stuttgart in the 2024/2025 school year, the project has now also arrived in Munich. What is emerging here under the leadership of Uta Hauck-Thum goes far beyond a traditional educational format. It is a concrete collaboration between primary schools, universities, vocational schools, and a museum – with a clear focus on sustainable learning experiences, self-efficacy, and STEM empowerment.

Fig.: The clean-up candy robot “can tidy up while offering snacks at the same time” (Source: Prof. Dr. Uta Hauck-Thum)

From idea to machine: how children become inventors – and develop language skills along the way

In Munich, primary school children from GS Bauhausplatz, GS Hochstraße, and GS Maria-Hilf-Platz are developing their own Dream Machines over the course of a school year. Their ideas are as diverse as the children themselves: a robotic turtle that collects water samples from the Isar and detects waste, a hat that automatically unfolds when it rains, or a robot that tidies up while offering sweets. The children are supported by students from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich as well as museum educators from the Deutsches Museum, including Irina Fritz.

Already in the early phase of the project, ideas are not only imagined but made visible. The children sketch their machines, describe their functions, and engage deeply with the question of how their inventions could actually work. A key component is the creation of explanatory videos developed together with the student teachers. These not only foster language skills but also require the children to think through their ideas precisely and communicate them clearly. At the same time, the students gain a much clearer understanding of the children’s ideas and intentions as inventors.

When kids, university students, teachers, museum educators, and vocational students become one team

In the next step, the ideas are passed on to students at the Technical University of Munich, who develop digital models based on them. In close exchange with the children and the participating vocational schools, concrete construction plans emerge. These are supported by the vocational schools in Altötting, where the machines are ultimately built. Initial prototypes – including the robotic turtle, the rain hat, and the clean-up candy robot – have already been created. With the help of software such as Autodesk Fusion, ideas are turned into real constructions. The children continuously accompany this process, provide feedback, and experience how their ideas gradually become reality.

Fig.: The prototype of the “clean-up candy machine” in 3D printing (Source: Prof. Dr. Uta Hauck-Thum)

Learning that makes an impact: self-efficacy in a STEM context

What is particularly remarkable is not only the outcome, but the learning process itself. Children experience that their ideas are taken seriously and have an impact. University students work on real-world challenges instead of theoretical exercises. Vocational students implement tangible projects and visibly apply their technical skills. At the same time, a form of collaboration emerges between institutions that rarely happens in everyday education. Teachers, students, and pupils co-create learning processes, providing a powerful example of how connected learning across the educational pathway can work.

An additional impulse at the beginning of the project came from a talk by Michael Decker, Director General of the Deutsches Museum, who encouraged the children to think big and develop their ideas without limitations. This mindset continues to shape the project today.

The finished Dream Machines will be presented on July 4, 2026, as part of the “Festival of the Future” at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. They will be exhibited there for several weeks before returning to the schools.

Fig.: Installation of the motor in the “robot turtle” at the vocational school in Altötting

From the classroom into real life: why MyMachine is more than just a project

At its core, MyMachine shows what becomes possible when learning is not designed from the perspective of institutions, but from the child. When learning is not predefined, but space is created for individual ideas, creativity, and real-world implementation. Especially in STEM education, this opens up an approach that is driven not by abstract content, but by curiosity, design, and experience.

MyMachine demonstrates that education becomes particularly effective when it reflects real processes, transfers responsibility, and connects learners. What emerges here are not only the children’s Dream Machines. It is a shared understanding among all participants of how ideas can become reality – and thus a key foundation for shaping the future together.

Insights into the project at FUTUROMUNDO EDU in Stuttgart

On June 25, 2026, Uta Hauck-Thum (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich), together with Petra Ferrari (Managing Director of Galileo Bildungshaus), Nana Moutafidou (University of Stuttgart), and Piet Grymonprez (founder of the MyMachine Global Foundation), will provide insights into the didactics of this unique educational project at FUTUROMUNDO EDU. The Initiative Classroom Thinktank supports access for teachers, school leaders, student teachers, and participants in pedagogical training programs across Baden-Württemberg.

Special thanks to Uta Hauck-Thum for the behind-the-scenes insights. Her personal blog post offers further perspective.