Constructing with movement: kinematics

• Authors: Leonhard Oschuetz;Daniel Wessolek;Wolfgang Sattler
• Venue: Proceedings of the fourth international conference on Tangible, embedded, and embodied interaction
• Year: 2010

This paper describes Kinematics: a novel construction toy for children consisting of both active (shape-changing or rotating) and passive building blocks. In comparison to similar systems, the active components of Kinematics do not require programming or recording. This allows children to focus on reassembly and direct observation of the resulting movement from simple changes made to a constructed structure. The gameplay of Kinematics is similar to classic construction games; by re-combining different elements, one can assemble increasingly complex structures. The shape-changing/rotating feature of the active blocks results in movement of the whole structure. The geometric shapes of these blocks are cubes, cuboids, cylinders, and triangular prisms. Plug-and-socket connectors (TRRS jacks) hold the blocks together and are the pivot points for rotating. They also provide data and power lines. Through simply rotating a single element, or putting it in a different position within the structure, the child can directly and intuitively manipulate the resulting movement. We propose Kinematics as a playful, intuitive, and haptic way of learning about motion in the physical world.