A product that has kept popping on to my radar has been the intriguing Turing Tumbles @TuringTumble I admit to being initially hesitant (is just a gimmicky marble run? - it isn't!) a marble powered computer. The idea is using mechanical ideas to visualise computing concepts is thought-provoking and I have always loved marble runs and 'Heath Robinson'/'Rube Goldberg' style machines; so bit the bullet and brought one and I am impressed; it is great fun (more than just as a marble run).
Let's start with the packaging and components it is and feels like a high quality product. The components feel sturdy and well designed, the storage for the components also feels sturdy (see figure 1). The project book with the exercises etc is a mixture of puzzles and challenges, alongside a short graphic novel/comic; it all feels well executed and thought through. Online there is now a growing community https://community.turingtumble.com/ where new puzzels are posted, alongside new ideas for puzzles and support. Personally, I think this is a great move, and one of the features with the potential to move this from a game (I have no problem with games), into a tool (as well as a game) for experimentation and also an educational tool.
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| figure 1: components |
It does have elements of a marble run the power to everything is gravity acting on marbles (see figure 2).
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| figure 2: Game board |
In the video below the set of red and blue marbles, go through the system producing an output of alternating red and blue marbles - simple but good fun.
Where to next then:
- I am aiming to find the time to try out the binary operation puzzles and logic puzzles.
- then play with other ideas.
The company behind Turing Tumble have recently run a further very successful Kickstarter project for a follow-on idea Spintronics (see below) using mechanical concepts to help visualise and understand electronic concepts. Yes, I have 'pledged' for it along with several thousand others, it looks so Steampunk.
If you would like to play with a spintronic simulation goto https://www.turingtumble.com/upperstory/spintronics/simulator/index.html
