The first museum in Greece run by a robot guide will open its digital gates very soon in the future. As expected, it will be located in Thessaloniki, co-capital of the country, an important innovation and technological hub receiving much attention in the recent years. This 5G technology museum will combine robots, AI and 5G technology. All this thanks to the support of the Hellenic Museum of Thessaloniki that proposed to create the hybrid technology of this museum. Another much important target point of EMT is for the hybrid museum to operate as a mobile museum as well. The aspiration of the museum’s director, George Vlachogiannis, follows bellow and all will be explained.
Visitors of all ages will be able to learn more about technology in Greece, its history and process through time with much ease. Their visiting experience, for both children and adults alike, will be smooth and pleasurable. Their guide will be an automated robot guide, a pioneering innovation that will bring the change to current affairs. They will be invited to maneuver through 10.000 exhibits, with a dating between 1990 and 2000.
Director’s Statements
The director of the Hellenic Museum of Thessaloniki gave an interview recently to the Athens News Agency, alternatively called ANA. He explained, “especially these last years, with the pandemic we have reviewed the situation and came up with necessary proposals and solutions. Every child from all over Greece must have access to museums. With the hybrid 5G technology museum the visitors can have a live tour in their convenience with the help of the robotic system.”
Professor and Director of the Laboratory of Changing Intelligent Environments, Konstantinos Ungrini, stressed. “We have set the initial framework. The next day of the Hellenic Museum of Technology will come, as the first hybrid museum”. The first step for the realization of Mr. Vlachogiannis’ vision has been taken, as there has been a first contact with the Professor of the University of Crete.
The exhibition
The exhibits of the live tour will have their own designated space. The EMT will allocate a room of 300sqm for this hybrid 5G technology museum. In this area, the robot guide will operate with remote control. The visitor can navigate in the exhibition room and the robot will scan the QR code of each exhibit in order to transmit necessary museum information.
Aspiration of a mobile museum
The director of the Hellenic Museum of Thessaloniki analyzed the aspiration of a second way to visit the museum, meaning that is remotely. The so called mobile museum will operate through two old city buses or large vans. “Every kid throughout Greece will have access to history. With the mobile museum, they will have the necessary space to connect and tour the exhibition. Through a big screen they will interact with the exhibits with guidance from the robotic system.” He clarified on the idea behind the project.
During the three-day technology fair Beyond 4.0 Expo 2022, the exhibition of Hellenic Museum of Thessaloniki was hosted at the Pavilion 12 of the Ministry of Digital Governance in TIF area. On the last day of the exposition, on October 1st of 2022, Minister of Digital Governance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis met with the director and received a brief presentation of the aspiring, innovative project of the hybrid museum.
Mobile museum’s operation
The museum’s operation and power supply will base on photovoltaic panels, installed on the roof of the vehicles. The green technology mindset will reflect on the museum as well. These vehicles will make short stops in each municipality across the whole country. With each visit, the welcoming city will hold forums, seminars, networking actions, organized and supported by local municipality institutions. All civilians, regardless of age, will have the opportunity to visit the traveling museum automobiles. Embracing this initiative, they will get in touch with technology in general. Hopefully, they will welcome a new perspective on the recurrent transformation of the society understanding the impact of technology in everyday life.
At the same time, every corner of the country can connect. From Evros to Crete, and in every remote island or village, this modern experiment can help and unite students or professionals. Innovation competitions can be held as well for all robotics groups of students.
Pilot exhibition
Notable is the recent digital presentation of the exhibition. A part of the museum’s collection students from the 10th and 17th primary schools of Evosmos, Thessaloniki, were able to experience with a robot guide. With the help of this technology, young visitors had the opportunity to come into contact with the first televisions, cameras, typewriters etc.
With this innovative project, museum will receive a digital transformation and a huge change on the way they operate. In this process, the museum’s contribution will certainly be monumental.
Brief history of the contributing museum
The “Hellenic Museum of Technology”, otherwise called EMT, is a development from the predecessor, the “Technical Museum of Thessaloniki”, also known as TMT. Active between 1978 and 2002, TMT provided a variety of activities. Visitors considered a wide public of mainly younger ages. One of the most notable actions of the Technical Museum was the establishment of the Foundation KDEMT- NOESIS.
Within the privately owned space, the museum treasured 4.500 technological and industrial exhibits. In 2002, though, unfortunately the Hellenic Museum of Technology sealed its doors for two whole decades. During its operation, 800.000 students from all over Greece visited the expositions. All the technological wealth came back to surface for the new generation to explore. The museum re-opened after facing many difficulties. The financial problems, though, are serious. The proposal of a total reconstruction and operation froze due to funding issues. This cost is high enough to prohibit this large financial step of construction. The privately owned area of 2000sqm is located in the Industrial Area of Sindos, just outside of Thessaloniki.
To conclude, the realization of this grand project, of mobile museum and advance technology, will bring the Greek society a step closer to keeping up with the demanding technology driven society. The first 5G Technology Museum in Thessaloniki, is still under construction as a concept, and we will be happy to share with you all upcoming news on the matter. It is really fascinating to experience a virtual exhibition with a robot guide and we certainly cannot wait to participate in this tour.
In case you want to know more about the Hellenic Museum of Technology, you can visit the official website by following the link, https://emt.edu.gr/Â or here.
Author: PC-GR
The World of Technology
