Time for FISCHERTECHNIKS®!
Okay, time for a FUN change!
I have been building with Fischer Technics lately...experimenting with them with an
eye at developing activities with this constructive. I thought to drop a few pictures of
the different projects I built.
Some thoughts about Fischer Technic:
There are strengths and weaknesses when compared with LEGO®. I liked the structural strength
I could build in joints ( look at the legs of the Fischer Technic Cat...LEGO® joints would pop! )
...I like the ability to play with the elements and "shift" them to where I need them...I like the
fact that they are a seperate and unique building system. I was afraid that the gearing elements
would not be as nice as the LEGO® system...but it was a pleasant surprise I never felt handicapped
( to date ) building with the Fischer Technic gears and pulleys. I liked the size of the
projects I built! I liked the "scientific" feel...no foo foos and few decorative elements. This is
a toy for inventors!
On the other hand, I got tired of dinging my fingers taking pieces apart...they are hard to manipulate
and may present a problem to younger children. They are not as intuitive as LEGO® elements. They are
as pricey if not more so.
THE ROBOT BOOK compares the two systems:
- LEGO® elements: All measurements must be multiples of the standard unit spacings, Fischertechnik®:
Sliding fittings allow fine adjustments.
- LEGO® elements: Easy and fast to assemble, Fischertechnik®: Order in which components must be put together
not always obvious.
- LEGO® elements: Fixing system relatively weak, Fischertechnik®: Fixing system very strong.
- LEGO® elements: Fixing system based on original building blocks and therefore very 'directional.'
It is possible to align any component any way, but only with difficulty, Fischertechnik®: No directionality
to the fixing system and therefore very good for building three-dimensional objects, particularly
the supporting structures around the mechanisms.
- LEGO® elements: Beams long and slender, Fischertechnik®: Building blocks rather fat and cumbersome
for some applications. ( Although they now use a range of guiders which make them competitive here -Richard ).
- LEGO® elements:Useful range of gear wheels with fine teeth, FISCHERTECHNIC: Limited numbers of gears, each
rather bulky.
( I have omitted several items from the original list. The book was published in 1985, and some items are
dated ).
A quote: "...Fischertechnik® was designed originally for technical applications
( both statics and mechanics ) where LEGO® grew out of an educational toy...it is aimed
firmly at the educational and even industrial market...In schools and universities,
Fischertechnik® is used for teaching maths, physics and engineering, while in industry it has
formed the basis for engineering prototypes of new products and even to simulate the operation of
large plants such as car production lines." ( p105)
"The public understands what many in Washington do not---that science and technology are
investments in our future, not expendable frills." John Gibbons
Okay weblanders...let's see some cool Fischertechnik®projects out there!
How about a List of Fischertechnik Links?
Go Back to Weird Richard
Copyright© 1996 1997 by Richard Wright for PCS Education Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved