Buckyballs. Zen Magnets. Nanodots. All over the world people are playing with tiny magnets, wondering how they work. (Sorry.)

All of these products feature hundreds of tiny little rare earth magnetic balls, incredibly strong magnets that can be sculpted and formed into all sorts of insane shapes. I recently received a set of Buckyballs as a birthday gift and whenever someone is over my house they inevitably end up playing with it. I swear to you, they’re incredibly addictive and fun to play with- part stress toy, part art project.

Nanodots has sent over word about their new tools that distance themselves from their competition and that will certainly benefit anyone wondering what else that can do with their purchase.

In stores now is the Nanopad, a chessboard that comes in two sizes and allows you to play various games on it. It’s lined with iron so it’s not magnetic itself but the nanodots will stick to them.

Later this year they will be releasing the “MFV Splitter” which will allow you to split the magnets and sculpt new creations. Anyone who’s played with these magnets know how tricky it is to separate them carefully without dragging apart everything you’ve been working on, so this is definitely a welcome tool.

Check thenanodots.com for more, and for ideas on what you can build with them. I’m going to try this one next…