Phänomena on Tour starts in Dietikon with a focus on AI and robotics
After 42 years, the legendary Swiss science exhibition is celebrating its comeback as a mobile world of experience. Phänomena on Tour kicked off in Dietikon on March 14, bringing topics such as artificial intelligence and robotics to life interactively. President Guy Parmelin attended the opening ceremony.
Phänomena 2026 started its tour on Saturday, March 14. In six inflatable spheres in Dietikon, a world of experience has been created that aims to get adults and children excited about science. The focus is on artificial intelligence and robotics - two technologies that have already fundamentally changed everyday life, but only a few people understand how they work.
Science you can touch
On Friday, March 13, Phänomena invited partners and sponsors to the opening ceremony, which was also attended by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin. Robots and plant installations await visitors at the interactive stations to show how algorithms work, how AI «thinks» and the ethical responsibility that comes with new technology.
«As a child, Phänomena taught me that the world is full of wonders,» says Urs Müller, General Manager of Phänomena and son of founder Georg Müller. «For me, continuing this legacy means passing on the fascination of my own childhood to the future.»
According to the Federal Statistical Office, 80 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds in Switzerland use AI when texting. But very few understand how language models work. This is exactly where Phänomena comes in. Natural phenomena, digital processes and social developments are staged immersively. Experience becomes amazement, amazement becomes understanding.
Successful start on the opening weekend
Many visitors heeded the call of science on the opening weekend and tested the exhibits, programmed robots for a fight or navigated underwater robots through a pool. «If just one visitor is inspired by the Phänomena to pursue a career in science, then we've done everything right,» says Urs Müller.
From fixed location to mobile tour
The fact that Phänomena on Tour is a reality today was not always a given. The original idea of a permanent exhibition in Dietikon was discarded and transformed into a mobile, contemporary concept. «We rethought our original idea and developed a format that fits today's world,» explains Urs Müller. «A lot has changed in 42 years: Knowledge needs to be more flexible, more accessible and closer to people. With the tour, we are bringing the Phänomena directly to the regions and creating new encounters with science.»
The concept strikes a chord with the times. In a world that is becoming ever more digital, faster and more complex, Phänomena creates a place where technology does not remain abstract, but becomes tangible. As a wandering world of experience, it brings science directly to the people.
Tour through Switzerland
AI and robotics are the first theme of Phänomena on Tour. A new focus is set each year. After Dietikon, where the exhibition can be seen until April 19, further locations will follow: Basel, Yverdon, Lucerne, Altstätten, Zurich and Biel. The offer is complemented by the Phänomena Spot app, which makes natural phenomena, technical innovations and cultural features digitally accessible throughout Switzerland.
The launch in Dietikon is a successful start. Phänomena 2026 is therefore not just a world of experience, but a traveling laboratory of the future that brings science to where it belongs: in the heart of society.
Further information and tickets: www.phaenomena.ch
