Marblelous, the brainchild of Stephan van Lümig, brings the timeless joy of marble runs into the smart home era with a system of customizable tracks, smart features, and integration possibilities. Designed for all ages, it combines the nostalgic fun of marble tracks with interactive tech innovations, allowing builders to create personalized, connected experiences that go far beyond the usual marble run.
A Journey from Play to Innovation
Van Lümig’s inspiration came from a desire to elevate simple marble runs into intricate, dynamic creations that can engage with the smart home environment. Imagine connecting your marble track to smart devices, triggering lights or sounds, and even using the Marblelous app to control the entire setup. This is exactly what Marblelous achieves, merging play with modern tech seamlessly.
Key Components of Marblelous
The starter kit includes fundamental pieces like flip-flipping piranhas, paper straws for smooth marble rolling, and versatile mounting materials. But for tech enthusiasts, these are just the beginning. Here’s a look at some standout smart features:
- Marble Dropper: This component holds nine marbles and can release them one at a time with the press of a button. It’s also app-connected, allowing you to set triggers and control the release.
- Marble Detector: Equipped with two sensors, this detector measures marble speed and identifies colours. You can set it to interact with smart home devices, for example, triggering Philips Hue lights to match the colour of a passing marble.
- Marble Wheel: Essentially a Ferris wheel for marbles, this component also features sensors that can trigger actions in the app, adding a touch of automation to the marble’s journey.
- Lane Switch: This device alternates the marble’s path with each pass, and can be configured with specific settings to control direction based on colour.
- Marble Spiral Lift Use this cool device to lift your marbles so you can build an endless track! The Spiral motor will be automatically activated when a marble passes by and stops as soon as it’s at the top. It can be easily extended, by simply adding a few extra spiral elements.
- THE TELEPORTER We wouldn’t call them teleporters if they didn’t do exactly what they should do: teleport! The marble disappears in module A and then comes out of module B. In this way you can connect 2 marble tracks at different locations.
An App that Brings it All Together
The Marblelous app is the control centre, where you can connect all “Smart Tricks” and create custom automations. The app includes integrations with Sonos and Philips Hue, enabling Marblelous to communicate directly with these systems without needing additional setup. Users can also connect it to Home Assistant, making it easy to integrate with broader home automation setups.
Building the Dream: A Look into the Maker’s Workshop
Van Lümig’s workshop is where the magic happens. It’s filled with 3D printers, laser cutters, and a meticulous parts organization system, all essential for creating and testing new Marblelous ideas. The space doubles as a demo room where different setups show how Marblelous works in action, from detecting coloured marbles and triggering specific lights to setting up racetracks where the winner’s colour lights up the room.
Marblelous on Kickstarter
Early 2025 will mark the official release of Marblelous, which will be available via Kickstarter. The starter kit, alongside the Marble Dropper, will retail for around € 130 , bringing the Marblelous experience to fans and backers worldwide!
With Marblelous, van Lümig envisions a community of creators who will explore engineering, problem-solving, and creative thinking. This smart marble run is perfect for tech enthusiasts, educators, and anyone with a passion for building and automation.
Fun Fact: Stephan van Lümig, the mastermind behind Marblelous, is actually one of my former interns! It’s fantastic to see how his passion for electronics, mechanics, and innovation has blossomed into this incredible project!
Official Supporter
As of today, StudioPieters® is now official supporter of Marblelous next to OMNIFIXO!
We will keep you updated on any changes and of course when you can buy your set!