It doesn’t feel controversial to say that Lego and electricity shouldn’t mix, but Brown Dog Gadgets begs to differ.
The company has created a unique Kickstarter campaign in the hope of capturing imaginations with that rarest of things: an educational toy that is actually fun. “Crazy Circuits” are small electrical pieces that latch on to Lego bricks with ease, allowing young minds to dust off old sets and light up their Lego.
The promotional video even sees a fully motorised Lego tank rolling along the dining table – the stuff of childhood dreams. Or nightmares, depending on your perspective.
Lego is the headline act in Brown Dog’s pitch, but the company’s product range can work with other household items beyond the famous building blocks. Crazy Circuits can be hooked on to clothing, used in sewing or with construction paper. They could also be utilised with inks and paints to create some outlandish art.
Beyond the concept, Crazy Circuits’ planned business model includes a subscription option, which is an interesting angle for the device. We have subscriptions for Netflix, Spotify and contracts for our mobiles, but electrical kits sent monthly to your door is quite niche. Nevertheless, Brown Dog feels there is a market for these delivered kits, and has also developed options for the classroom, designed to serve up to 25 students.
The sheer variety already on offer in the Crazy Circuits range is pretty astonishing: there are several different tiers and subscription options range from three months to a year. That’s a lot of options for electronicised Lego kits, although the estimated shipping date is still some way away, and is currently scheduled for September.
Co-creator Joshua Zimmerman told Digital Trends that the main setback with current tools on the market is the hefty price tag for what you’re offered. “What we wanted to do with this system was build off something that everyone would know how to use, and which would be extremely common,” explained Zimmerman. ”What fits the bill better than Lego?”
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