Qubits Take Construction to a New Level, Panel Says
Pieces Based on Nature’s Shapes Challenge Thought and Design
By Susan Ledford October 2008
—Mildred Tong
| “It uses the creative side of the brain, yet still uses the mathematical side at the same time.” |
Qubits, the Construction Toy of the Future.
The building set features unique shapes based on triangles and hexagons, which allows for interesting and creative construction.
Note: Several kits needed to construct a sphere.
Qubits® the Construction Toy of the Future by QUBITS TOY COMPANY
Age: 7 and Up
Gender: Boys and Girls
Category: Construction
MSRP: $29.99
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architect
creates construction toy
Note: Several kits needed to construct a sphere.
Architect Mark
Allan Burginger of Bend, Ore., recently launched production
of a geometric construction toy based on an idea he
developed while in college and has fine-tuned over the
years.
Qubits, "The Construction
Toy of the Future," allows kids to
build a variety of 3-D structures while introducing them to
the basics of geometry and architecture.
Qubits stands
for "quantum bits"—a scientific unit of measurement.
The plastic toy set comes in a bucket container and
includes 36 Qubits pieces, 36 connector pieces, and 18
bridge pieces, all based on triangles and hexagons.
Burginger has displayed Qubits at local street festivals,
setting up several of the toys for passing children to play
with. "That's the best part, watching them play with the
pieces and seeing how the parts go together, and watching
that light go on as they figure out how they can build
different things," he says. "They start talking about
engineering, architecture, geometry; and then you can
engage them and try to teach them something while they're
there."
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"Qubits is an excellent construction toy which will develop
not only hands-on expertise in small children but also a
keen awareness of shapes, patterns as well as engineering
structures. These are essential abilities that
children must learn if they are to have an intimate
awareness of the devices that abound in this highly
technical age"
harry
Sir Harold (Harry) Kroto
- 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Discovery of Buckyball
C60 molecule
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Dear
Qubits Toy Company,
I borrowed your toy from a partner to play with my 6 year
old son, it just so happens that the basic building blocks
of quantum information science forms the subject matter of
my professional research. Anyway, I wanted to let you know
that playing with my son was pure joy. I especially enjoyed
watching him realize basic (and rather abstract) notions of
geometry through play. He was able to quickly grasp the
notion of self-similarity, i.e. the fact that with Qubits
you can create many duplicates of the same shape and then
recombine them into yet a larger modular shape. We were
able to explore by rolling and stitching several sheets,
the transformation from 2D to 3D. In so many words it was
both fun and educational for us both.
A Professor of Complex Systems Science
Israel
BORON
BALL???
Professor Boris Yakobson of Rice University has pointed out
that the Q-Ball resembles the triangulated structure of a
Boron Ball.
Click here to learn more about Professor
Yakobson's research.
Qubits® Endorsed by the fine folks at Scientific Frontline
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Qubits Toy Company
I like the design of this geometric system. I would say
that these (Qubits) models will encourage people especially
youngsters to learn of the fascinating patterns of nature
in an intuitive and playful manner that overcomes the fear
of mathematics. In doing that they can encourage creative
thoughts and new lines of enquiry into our present schemes
of engineering matter in a non-natural way.
Jim
Prof. James K. Gimzewski PhD CPhys FIoN FInstP FWIF FREng
UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Nanotechnologist
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The Robotics Alliance Project
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