Computational Construction Kits and Craft

(Computational Construction Kits and Craft)

Construction kits-such as geometric design sets, erector sets, architectural blocks, anatomical models, chemical modeling kits-are toys designed for the building or assembly of physical models-have historically played a powerful educational role in children's lives. This project is developing a wide variety of computationally-enhanced construction kits, focusing on scientific, mathematical, and engineering domains (such as solid geometry, molecular chemistry, architectural design, and anatomy). Through the use of embedded computation, pieces within a construction kit may communicate with each other, with desktop machines, and with their users; and overall, by integrating construction kits with computation, the educational power and expressiveness of these kits can be greatly increased.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0326054. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF)

researchers: Mike Eisenberg, Mark D Gross, Ellen Yi-Luen Do, Michael Philetus Weller, Ken Camarata

sponsor: National Science Foundation ITR-0326054

last updated 7.14.2005 by Mark D Gross