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The LINKKI Toy Construction Set Teaches Kids (and Designers) the Basics of Kinetic Design

Tuesday, October 27, 2015 4:54

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After having been inspired to extend storytelling media beyond two-dimensional space and into the physical world with interactive components, industrial designer Eun Young Park quickly found that a category of construction set was missing from the arsenal of today’s STEM toys: one that teaches kinetic design.

Created as a part of her MA thesis at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Park’s LINKKI kinetic toy construction set is based on planar linkage mechanisms that lets both kids and designers design simple movements and create various kinetic projects with ease.

In total, the set consists of a number of different arms and circles that feature different connecting features and are all powered by three different types of motors: full rotation, limited rotation and interactive. While the full rotation motor rotates clockwise with a constant speed when users push the button, the limited rotation rotates between angles set by a knob and the interactive motor rotates according to a WiFi signal sent from a nearby sensor unit.

“The point is in its simplicity and flatness. Other mechanical parts except bars and circles were excluded; just coupling linkages can make even sophisticated movements,” explains Park.

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“The flat mechanism makes the design process with which engineering such as mechanics, robotics, electronics and model making is involved feel like just drawing on the paper: fast, easy, and intuitive. Flat parts also enables users to make their own parts with on-the-shelf material such as cardboard, that is, it’s easy to hack and open-ended.”

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