Mina, Paige and Gates are three Park City High School students that designed and developed the IKOS modular building toys, which are curved instead of rectangular, to provide a way to create forms that the average building block simply cannot.
End to end, the toys can be slotted together to form the beginnings of a larger curve, or they can be snapped together perpendicularly to build height. IKOS can be used to build lamps, bowls, 3D puzzles and other sculptures, but as Mina Berglund notes "we are launching this design as a toy, but we believe that there are other humanitarian applications such as emergency shelter and water storage. This design is scalable which we believe has use for a greater purpose."
IKOS was designed with CAD software and 3D printed from 100% recycled HDPE, which makes use of materials like milk jugs and other plastics. With the design process completed, the students have filed a patent for their modular building toy pieces. IKOS is currently on Kickstarter with a goal of raising $21,000, which will help the students cover the costs for production molds, attain recycled materials and finally, launch the manufacturing process.
Curved Modular Building Toys
The IKOS Modular Building Toys Make Amazing Spherical Forms
Trend Themes
1. Curved Modular Building Toys - Opportunity for disrupting the traditional building block industry by offering a new, curved design that allows for creating unique forms and structures.
2. Sustainable Toy Manufacturing - Disruptive innovation in the toy industry by using 100% recycled HDPE materials, such as milk jugs, to create environmentally friendly toys.
3. Versatile Design for Humanitarian Applications - Potential for disruptive innovation in the humanitarian sector by utilizing the scalable and adaptable design of IKOS to create emergency shelters and water storage solutions.
Industry Implications
1. Toys - Opportunity to revolutionize the toy industry with IKOS modular building toys that offer a unique curved design and sustainable manufacturing process.
2. 3D Printing - Disruptive innovation in the field of 3D printing by developing modular building toy pieces that can be 3D printed from recycled materials.
3. Humanitarian Aid - Opportunity for disrupting the humanitarian aid industry by using the versatile design of IKOS modular building toys to create emergency shelters and water storage solutions.