Magno-cycle
A magnetic pull-back car that can fit in your pocket.
Problem
One day in studio a Spinmaster representative provided us with information on the toy industry and children's psychology. This was a clear project. We had one week to make a toy.
Opportunity
A small toy that kids can fit in their pocket, allowing them to compete with each other and play by themselves! Including some form of transformation was important as the toys I studied tended to have 2 forms. That seemed to be popular among children.
1 week
School assigment
Personlization
With many color combinations and designs, children are able to have a sense of individualism when they find the Magno-Cycle they chose to be theirs
Individuals and collaborative play
This toy can be played with alone or with their friends! Creating opportunities for friendly competition and creative play as they discover different surfaces they can race their Magno-Cycle on!
Magnetic Wheels
With magnetic wheels, Magno-Cycle can zoom up and down any metal surface opening up the possibilities of fun!
Research
Background Research
Beyblades
Tamagotchi
Mighty beanz
I started my research by looking at toys that were immensely popular when I was a child in order to try and understand what made these toys so special.
Key Findings
Contrasting these toys to find what they had in common I came to the conclusion that children in this age range enjoy toys that enable them to:
Solo Play
Nothing will cause a child to lose interest faster than a toy that can't be played with individually. It's important that not only the toys can be used with friends but can be enjoyed alone.
Competition
All these toys promote friendly competition among peers. Studies show competition is beneficial to children, teaching them social skills and improving self-esteem in addition to being mentally engaging.
Individualism
All the toys examined allowed the children to have a sense of identity. It increases the emotional attachment to the toy and sets their toy apart from their friends.
Development
Development and Testing
As a very hands-on individual, this exploration started with quick sketches before moving on to other various materials like kinects and 3D printing. I created models to demonstrate the different concepts in order to prove the concept and to help me developed a full understanding of mechanics which was necessary when CAD-ing the final design
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The folding mechanism was tested using Kinects
Metal Stapping and 3d printing were used to make proof of concept models
Tracks can be purchased and used to compete against friends. Or they can use their imagination to create tracks out of various metal parts that can be found around the house.
Magnetic wheels that allow for a unique toy. This simple yet unique toy promotes imaginative and collaborative play
Using the same skeleton under all the various design allows manufacturing cost to be minimized
Pull back and release to launch car!
Solution
Folded toy spring release into final form. Meaning kids can carry it in their pockets or bags
Magnetic wheels allow it to perform maneuvers that cannot be done by ordinary toy cars. Tracks that use metal strategically can create very engaging play