Our Building System
The original ENGINO® system, launched back in 2007, consisted of only 18 basic components. These were designed to be as modular as possible so that with just a few different parts many models could be created. At that time, when ENGINO® was still a small start-up, the available budget was very small, and every new part meant investing in another injection tool. The famous construction toy giant at that time, had a library of more than 8000 different parts, and the small ENGINO® team was up against a seemingly impossible challenge:
How to develop a building system with no more than 20 parts and be at par with a system of 8000 parts?
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato said, “necessity is the mother of invention”. After 3 years of intensive research and development, our disadvantage has turned out to become our biggest advantage. It has led to the design of our patented multi-functional joints (receptors and plugs) that allow snap-fit connectivity at both sides of a rod at the same time. It was this innovation that has propelled ENGINO® to one of the top industry leaders in the category of STEM and Robotics!
Since then, our designers have embedded these same geometries to more specialized parts and developed new complimentary shapes that cover the needs of children from ages 3 to 14+. Today, the ENGINO® system continues to excel in usability, and even thought it has extended its library of components, it still has less than 200 different parts, while being perhaps the only system that is fully compatible throughout all ages.
The ENGINO® System has now evolved into 3 Sub-Systems
The “Qboidz”, which consists of cube-like bricks for preschool children starting at the age of 3, the “Classic”, which is the original ENGINO® for kids of age 6 and above, and the more advanced “Mechanics” with precision engineered technical parts and gearing systems for children over 9 years old
Building in one direction
The ENGINO® rods can be connected in-line without the need of an intermediate connector, almost reducing to half the quantity of parts required to build models as compared to other systems. This is because the connecting plug’s geometry is already embedded within each rod. The biggest advantage in requiring half the number of parts, besides simplicity, is the fact that students will need half the time to build their model, saving time to be allocated for being more creative by trying their own ideas.
Building in two directions...
The same rods which can be assembled horizontally in-line can also be connected vertically sideways! The unique plug geometry can click on any of the bi-directional side-holes of the rods, meaning that students can build without needing a new component- in two directions! Even though this is a big advantage by itself, the biggest innovation is that the rods can snap-fit on both sides of the rods simultaneously, something that greatly enhances the expandability of the system and reduces even more the number of parts needed to construct a model.
Building in three directions...
The Classic ENGINO® system consists of “rods” and “connectors”. In essence, these “connectors” share the same geometrical designs as the rods, establishing a multiplier effect that enables a further reduction in the number of parts needed to construct a model. In most cases this means 4 times less parts are required to build a model as compared to other building systems. In effect, this means that students can not only create a model 4 times faster, but they can spent 4 times less effort to modify and experiment!
Building in fixes angles...
Modelling real-life machines and buildings requires also connecting components at an angle other than 90 degrees. The system includes 45-degree angular parts, which with the same ease can snap-fit on the rods and connectors to create more complex models.
Triangulating...
To make a frame stronger a technique called Triangulation is used, something which is clearly visible in many large bridges and wooden structures. With ENGINO®, triangulation is very easy to achieve, ideally with side-lengths of 15 units. Converting a structure from a flat two-dimensional shape to a three- dimensional one, for example adding pillars on floors when making a model of a house, is straight forward with ENGINO® . Simply snap a rod directly on the ELBOW or TEE connectors! These provide a change in the plane of building, without having any elements protruding, allowing also easy modification at any time without having to substitute these connectors with different ones.
Connecting in every angle...
The potential of the system is unleashed by “cloning” the innovative geometries to pivoted joints. A specially designed component acts as a pivot (called internally “swing rod”) and allows any angle of the 3D space to be created, not restricted by 45 or 90 degrees!
Connecting everywhere...
ENGINO® rods can connect one after the other and achieve longer sizes, however these are restricted by the size of the smallest part, our unit dimension of 12.7mm. But how can a child build creatively when they want to freely triangulate a model, and the hypotenuse length is not matching the unit’s multiple? This is an unsolvable problem, and no building system has so far managed to solve it. Based on Pythagoras theorem we should cut short a component to reach the required length, but this is of course not possible.
At ENGINO® we like to keep things simple for kids and assign the hard, engineering problems to our researchers. An innovative solution has been developed: our extendable rods. With just 2 pieces that interlock, kids can twist and extend creating any length possible! This amazing feature, when combined with the pivoted joints, can lead to the creation of any triangular shape and to constructions that were previously inconceivable! The extendable rod replaces the need of numerous other components and maximizes the building capabilities of the system.
Connecting DIY surfaces...
The assembled components of ENGINO® can have a flush surface with no protrusions. This has been designed on purpose for a very unique and specific reason: To allow children to cover their models with flat surface panels without obstructions. These panels can be from paper, acrylic or wooden materials, which kids can draw, paint and cut to their own ideas, making the models more realistic. This feature is the first step into the maker-space era providing a bridge between construction toys and real DIY projects. Surfaces can attach very easily on ENGINO® models by using the latest designed lock-pins, which secure the panels on the Engino rods with a simple click!
Driving the Maker-space revolution...
The original problem ENGINO® tried to solve, was how to build models made from wooden dowels, for -what back in 2004- was a “Design & Technology” classroom. This inspired the design of plastic modular wood connectors that could be used either as part of a toy or as consumables in DIY projects. The latest trends in education, with the Maker-space revolution, has created a new need for DIY building materials, making the ENGINO® wood connectors the ideal system to craft models with ease.
These components are fully compatible with all other ENGINO® parts as they share same connecting features. This helps create hybrid models that combine plastic parts with wooden beams which can be cut at any size by students or hobby engineers. These wood connectors can also integrate with the DIY surfaces and their lock-pins, empowering open-ended projects for children and adults alike!
Animating Models...
Animate and mobilise your models by using motors! ENGINO motors are designed with a snap fit removable axle so that it can be replaced easily when overstressed. The high-performance gearbox inside the casing achieves high torque and powers two outputs as an option, a fast one and a slower one, giving a 2-speed option to the user. There are two versions of the motor, one with a built-in battery compartment and one with a robotics cable. Still, living in the new world of renewable energies, we could not have left out the possibility to power the motor only with solar energy! The solar panel of ENGINO has a large surface to produce enough voltage when placed in direct sunlight, to power even large models.
Programming Models...
You can also animate and mobilise your models by programming them with the ERP Mini, ERP Pro or Produino controllers.
With Produino, kids have the opportunity to learn about coding and robotics at an advanced level. Unlike other robotics which are limited to the included peripherals, Produino can be expanded with DIY add-ons, coming from the open-source library of Arduino technologies. This set consists of a library of cables, sensors and electronic components that can be connected on Produino, helping kids to acquire a deeper understanding of electronics and embedded systems.
Classic building system is also programmable with our KEIRO™ software.