Two much anticipated new releases from fischertechnik are due to finally hit our shelves in the coming month. The first is the new Profi Dynamic set. Subtitled “fun with Physics” , this great new set contains over 400 pieces and includes instructions for building six different coaster style models, all for learning about such physical phenomena as acceleration, inertia of mass, centrifugal force, the law of conservation of energy, the principle of linear momentum and laws of motion.  This set has been generating a lot of interest from teachers since we first displayed photos of it at the ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education) conference in San Francisco this past March, and we’re as excited about this kit as we’ve been about any fischertechnik release we can remember. The other new item is the revamped and updated Universal 3 set. This is the second major update of the Universal set, unquestionably one of the most popular items in the whole fischertechnik line, as it is ideal for providing young engineers (age 7 and above) with a fascinating peek into the world of technology.  It contains a new selection of parts, with new colors and instructions for building 40(!) models. This set is a MUST for all budding fischer-technicians.

First Annual fischertechnik Design & Engineering Challenge deadline extended to January 2012!

Yes, by popular demand, we have decided to extend the deadline for our initial fischertechnik “Design and Engineering Challenge”—finding America’s Best Marble Sorter—from June 10^th until January 2012. Why so long? Well, simply put, we have been hearing from many schools who wanted to participate, but found this difficult to do at this point in the school year, as many build their marble sorters in the winter. We will announce the specific new deadline very shortly, but in the meantime those schools that do have their submissions ready, including the video portion, can begin submitting them immediately. We hope to begin posting these videos very shortly for public voting, and the top ten vote getters will be guaranteed a spot in the final judging by our panel of experts. For more details, please click here.

Next time around I will be sharing some information and photos from last month’s Ontario Skills Competition in Canada, where students competed in a Virtual Robotics Challenge using Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio and fischertechnik. Until then, I leave you with a video created by Robotusmax, showcasing the fischertechnik ROBO TX Explorer set:

So until next time, happy building!

Author: Lance Zurek