Fischertechnik

Construction toy

Fischertechnik is a brand of construction toy. It was invented by Artur Fischer and is produced by fischertechnik GmbH in Waldachtal, Germany. Fans often refer to Fischertechnik as "FT" or "ft". It is used in education for teaching about simple machines, as well as motorization and mechanisms. The company also offers computer interface technology, which can be used to teach the theory of automation and robotics.

The company is a German manufacturer of fasteners, and the original Fischertechnik set was intended as a Christmas (1964) novelty gift for engineers and buyers at industrial clients. The gifts proved popular, so for Christmas 1965, the company introduced its first building set for retail sale in Germany. In part, it has been claimed to foster education and interest in technology and science among the young. By about 1970, the construction sets were being sold in the United States at upscale toy retailers such as FAO Schwarz.

The basic building blocks were of channel and groove design, manufactured of hard nylon. Basic blocks came in 15×15×15 and 15×15×30 millimeter sizes. A peg on one side of each block could be attached into a channel on any of the other five sides of a similar block, producing a tightly fitting assembly that could assume almost any shape. Red cladding plates could be used to complete the exterior surfaces of the models.

The original blocks were characteristically gray with red accessories such as wheels and angled blocks. Electric motors, power sources, and gears were soon added to mobilize models. Additional building pieces such as struts were added in “statics” sets, allowing the construction of realistic looking bridges and tower cranes. A few Fischertechnik girders actually are made of aluminum. At least one company made Fischertechnik compatible aluminum bars of any desired length. To teach the physics of such models, some sets included measuring devices, so that trigonometric vectors could be calculated and tested.

The early sets were sophisticated and were often used by engineers to teach and simulate industrial robotics. This use was advanced by the addition of electrical and electronic components such as microswitches, magnetic sensing reed switches, and photocells, which sensed position and provided input to motors. With the basic electronic block (Grundbaustein), which contained an operational amplifier, Schmitt trigger and delay line circuits could be built. In the late 1970s, electronic binary logic modules (AND, NAND, OR, NOR, flip flops) were introduced, so that models could make some branching decisions. Pneumatic devices were made available to provide gripping ability. By the late 1980s, process control CPU modules were added, so that sequences movements could be preprogrammed and executed, first using “Lucky Logic” (LLWIN) software.

As Lego became more sophisticated with its Mindstorms line, Fischertechnik attempted to move down into less technical, more “fun”, building kits for younger ages. The parts were molded from more colorful plastics, and small building sets were developed for simple models such as vehicles. However, the Fischer products were more expensive and had far fewer parts that replicated everyday objects than Lego. Especially in the United States, Fischertechnik never achieved parity with Lego in the general construction toy market, and FT is still more positioned as a product for schools, engineers, and hobbyists. The sets are not as available at retail as Lego products in the United States, or even in Europe.

By 2006, Fischertechnik sets were available for robotic process control using “Robo pro” software (the successor to Lucky logic), on board process controllers with flash memory, infrared and radio frequency remote control, and pneumatic activation. Robotic models could follow preprogrammed routes or lines on the floor, sense obstructions and change course, detect and move objects, and simulate everyday devices such as vending machines, passenger elevator systems, and traffic control lights. In early 2010, Fischertechnik introduced the ROBO TX Explorer kit, which includes a color sensor. https://www. fischertechnik. de/en/service/elearning/playing/txt explorer