Zometool

The main components that make up the designer are connecting nodes and rods. The former were developed for a long time and eventually took the form of a semi-regular polyhedron - the Rhomboicosododecahedron , in which the faces were replaced by holes of the same shape, namely: 12 regular pentagons, 30 rectangles and 20 triangles. They ideally include rods with the appropriate shape of the tips. The color of the ZOMETOOL uprights is related to its cross-section, as well as to the hole shape of the connecting unit to which it corresponds. Red and green - pentagonal tips. Blue - quadrangular. Yellow - triangular. They are also divided into sizes: Very small, small, medium and large.

We live in a mathematical universe. Laws, geometric shapes, ideas surround us everywhere. Having peered into the essence of the world around, a person can see something special. Steve Baer was one of those who saw something interesting in our lives.

Baer was an occasional guest in the Drop City pilot community near Trinidad in the early 60s. Its founders were artists and architects Clark Richert, Gene and Joe Ann Bernowski. It was there that Steve was fascinated by the geometry of the dome, created by architect Richard Buckminster.

With a careful analysis of the design, the founders came to the conclusion that the dome has flaws as a living space. After all, the house then should be spherical, but at the same time with a large number of angles and edges of different sizes. This form, although stable, but rather difficult to build.

Inspired by the polyhedron dome, Ber saw his wife and child playing with geometric shapes. All this prompted him to create a new system that would allow him to collect a lot of forms. As a result, a constructor appeared. The word Zome was coined by Steve Darki of the Lame Foundation, who first published the invention of Steve Baer. It said that from Zome you can make Buckminster domes (not exactly, but similar), as well as houses with more bizarre shapes. A big plus of the Zome designs was the relative ease with which they could be assembled.

Currently, the design that Bear assembled in the Drop City community no longer exists, like other structures. However, Steve’s house was recently built in Corrales, New Mexico, using the Zome concept.

Zomeworks, established in 1969, created the first Zometoy design and simulation kits. They were patented in 1969 and 1970 by Stanley Marsh III in Texas. Then Zometoy used plastic ball joints and wooden dowels. Kits were showcased at the New York Toy Fair in 1971. Parts had the same shapes as today's ZOMETOOL. However, the kits were rather rude and uncomfortable.

In 1979, fate unites Marc Pelletier and Paul Hildebrandt.

Mark was an avid fan of the work of Steve Baer, ​​and Paul was very interested in the Zome System and wanted to improve it. Having agreed and reaching a common goal, they went to Boulder, Colorado, and began to develop a toy that would be clear even to a six-year-old child. It took 10 years to design parts whose geometry, according to scientists, was so revolutionary that it could conquer the whole world. Pelletier and Hildebrandt developed an original design for the connecting ball. Also, rods of several shapes and colors were invented, with which both adults and children could easily engage. Further, their main task was to find the one who will buy this idea.

Toy manufacturers who saw the development smiled and said that no one would ever buy it from them. Paul and Mark have traveled to dozens of factories around the world. Even in Germany and Japan, manufacturers shook their heads.

Knowing the importance of their work, the scientists decided to make the parts themselves. To do this, they needed a plastic injection molding machine. In 1988, master driver Bob Nickerson from Denver sold them his foundry machine, but said that it was not suitable for such a production. But Pelletier and Hildebrandt stood their ground. They founded BioCrystal Inc., which will become ZOMETOOL in 1997. The University of Colorado also presented them with a molding machine. For several years of work and machining of parts for the most complicated foundry molds, they finally combined all the molds and made a test batch. The first connector was perfect! April 1, 1992 is the date when revolutionary technology was brought to life.

For some time ZOMETOOL remained secret for the general public. The system with “golden” proportions of 2-, 3- and 5-fold magnification was at first popular with mathematicians and research scientists.

Then NASA began to use the designer to study the AIDS virus, as well as in space station projects. After the discovery of quasicrystals , for which Dan Shekhtman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2011, ZOMETOOL remains the only system capable of simulating these objects.

Mathematicians such as Roger Penrose and John Conway used ZOMETOOL to model complex geometric shapes. In the 2007 publication “An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything”, physicist Garrett Lisi used the constructor to illustrate the complex 8-spatial structure (E8) underlying his theory, which combines particle physics with Einstein's theory of gravitation .

All this caused a boom in sales of the designer for children. The guys began to create amazing forms - from the inventions of the ancient Greeks to spatial models of cosmic figures. Teachers around the world demonstrate models in chemistry, geometry, astronomy with the help of a designer.

Now ZOMETOOL is positioned as the basis of spatial interpretation in the new millennium.

1995

• American Journal of Parenting. Winner of the Best Toys of the Year Award • American Award. Winner in the Parents Choice nomination

1998

• American Journal of Children's Media. Awarded for outstanding achievements in the children's industry

1999

• Journal of childcare. Awarded in the nomination “Toy of the Year” • 100 best children's products according to Dr. Toy • The best toy for relaxation according to Dr. Toy • Family Life Magazine. Winner in the nomination “20 Great Toys” • Seal of Approval from the US National Center for Parenting • Parents Society in the USA. Golden Choice Award

2000

• Winner of the Gold Seal Award

2001

• Lion & Lambs project “20 of the best world toys”

2002

• 10 best toys according to Dr. Toy • 100 best children's products according to Dr. Toy • Winner of the Golden Star nomination according to the Canadian Toy Stores chain of stores • Parents Society in the USA. Winning the Parents Choice nomination

2003

• National Association for Gifted Children. List of the best toys for relaxation.

2005

• The best smart toy according to Dr. Toy

2012

• Magazine "Creative Child". Award in the Product of the Year nomination • Winning the Best Choice nomination according to Dr. Toy • Creative Child Magazine. Award in the nomination “Top toy of the year” in the category “Design” • The designer was placed in the US Hall of Fame “ Made in the USA ”

2013

• Magazine " Popular Science ". Award "Best Product at the Toy Fair"

http://zometool.com/ - official site of ZOMETOOL company

http://vzome.com/home/ - informative page