Join ten building toys to make something awesome

Ever wished for a way all those building toys sitting about in the kids’ room could be joined together to make something REALLY huge? Well the Free Universal Construction Kit (which will not be turned into an acronym here) is the  answer to that wish. The Kit comprises:

a matrix of nearly 80 adapter bricks that enable complete interoperability between ten popular children’s construction toys. By allowing any piece to join to any other, the Kit encourages totally new forms of intercourse between otherwise closed systems—enabling radically hybrid constructive play, the creation of previously impossible designs, and ultimately, more creative opportunities for kids.

I love the idea of being able to join Lego to K*Nex without the use of gaffer-tape. The possibilities are just endless.

The Kit is actually a series of models that can be used with a 3D printer. And therein lies the problem. First you need access to a 3D printer, something most of us do not yet have lying around. But that could be dealt with through a bit of creative outsourcing. No, the real issue is that most 3D printers don’t have the fine resolution required to get good connections on many of the toys. I would so love to see this available professionally. In the meantime, looking at the pictures is enough to make me smile.