Wood Toys

Four sustainably-made playthings that teach more than fun

Automoblox An update to classic wooden cars, Automoblox double as imaginative educational tools for car enthusiasts big and small. The modular vehicles ignite creative thinking and cognitive learning by mixing and matching the “building block” components, which fit together like puzzles for open-ended play and teach visuospatial processing in the process. Made from renewable European beech, premium polycarbonate roofs, tires and connectors in bright colors …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Reenacting snapshots, a photoessay of Egypt's revolution, a treehouse hotel and more in this week's look at the web

1. Midget & Giant Designer Ryuji Nakamura‘s tiny paper house fits over a computer’s camera, giving the impression that you’re peering through a tiny window. 2. Flashkus Art director Artemy Lebedev developed a conceptual drive without standard plastic components. Superslim and disposable, the 4, 8 and 16GB sticks, called Flashkus, are constructed completely of cardboard and can be drawn on with marker to keep track …

Solowheel

A next-gen Segway in unicycle form

Like a stripped-down Segway, Inventist‘s new Solowheel is geared for the mobile urbanite. The “self-balancing electric unicycle” operates through gyroscopic technology, which a 1000-watt rechargeable lithium-ion battery powers. On a full charge (which takes about 45 minutes), the Solowheel lasts two hours—but the battery actually recaptures energy when going downhill. Weighing only 20 pounds and consisting of little more than a simple wheel with a …