CarDBuilder
Our construction toy kit was developed as a medium in which children could explore and play with various ways of producing modular toys. The playfulness of their interaction would teach them about the interconnectivity and relationships between components and the different patterns in movement which they can achieve, while still leaving much of the imagination and building process up to them.
Through the exploration of form, we decided on working with cardboard because of the material’s inexpensiveness, accessibility, practicality, flexibility, and disposable qualities. These choices have lead to a better ease of access for materials as well as an additional marginal feeling of safety to experiment vigorously without concerning oneself with fragility.
All of the components of our toy kit have been made to be modular through affordances of the connections points found on the edges. The edges of most of the pieces employ slots as a primary mechanic of joining components together. Square pieces also have circular holes through them allowing pencils (serving as axels) to rotate freely whereas circular parts and gears contain hexagonally shaped holes which do not allow the pencils to rotate. By using these pencils in combination of gears, circular motion can be achieved which can be translated into various forms of movement and locomotion.
Through the exploration of form, we decided on working with cardboard because of the material’s inexpensiveness, accessibility, practicality, flexibility, and disposable qualities. These choices have lead to a better ease of access for materials as well as an additional marginal feeling of safety to experiment vigorously without concerning oneself with fragility.
All of the components of our toy kit have been made to be modular through affordances of the connections points found on the edges. The edges of most of the pieces employ slots as a primary mechanic of joining components together. Square pieces also have circular holes through them allowing pencils (serving as axels) to rotate freely whereas circular parts and gears contain hexagonally shaped holes which do not allow the pencils to rotate. By using these pencils in combination of gears, circular motion can be achieved which can be translated into various forms of movement and locomotion.