Tangeez playful modular lights are ‘physical pixels’

Tangeez, a finalist for New York’s Next Top Maker, along with MyBell, is now seeking crowdfunding through Kickstarter and was made a Staff Pick on the front page of the site Tuesday.

Tangeez are modular lights that change color as different lights are stacked together. Their inventors describe them as “physical pixels.” The team has secured commitments of approximately $17,000 toward their $49,000 goal, with 73 backers.

Now on their twelfth prototype, these tactile lights first debuted at 2011’s Maker Faire, where team members Mustafa Bağdatlı and Emily Webster “were able to see how people would play with them without us saying much about it,” said Bağdatlı.

The team lives and works in Williamsburg.

The creators were surprised to see how much children enjoyed the blocks and how others were so awed by what was created as a design element, not a toy.

They’ve also appreciated the fact that something about the blocks had users to constructing more abstract shapes. Bağdatlı speculated in an email to Technically Brooklyn that this was because Tangeez are round.

The team has many more ideas about both new forms and interactivity for new Tangeez, but they are waiting to see how users experiment with the first manufactured batch of the product after the Kickstarter is completed. If the Kickstarter results are strong enough, they may be able to manufacture Tangeez engineered for rechargeable batteries.

Contribute to the Kickstarter campaign here. With a $45 commitment, you can get three Tangeez and a base plate, with more Tangeez at higher contribution levels. Watch their Kickstarter video below:

[kickstarter url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2103326826/tangeez-tangible-lights width=640]