History
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2009
September
Nano Magnetics founded
December
Nanodots Element 236 Launched (World's first multi-colored sphere magnets available in Original, Black, Silver and Gold)
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2010
January
Nanodots Magnetic constructors North America and Europe debut
July
Nanodots 216 Released
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2011
January
Guinness World Record broken in Hollywood, LA
February
Nanodots Accessory Line Launch
May
Discovery Channel - SCI Nanodots Announced
September
Nanodots appear on the set of hit TV series, 'Big Bang Theory'
October
Nanodots launch in Best Buy and Barnes & Noble
November
Nano Magnetics opens new facilities in China
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2012
January
Magnetic dot community launches - Dotpedia.com
February
Nanodots 64 Launches
August
Nanodots CEO, Tim Szeto appointed chair of ASTM subcommittee on Consumer Magnets
September
MEGA Nanodots Launch with WIRED Cafe at Comic Con San Diego
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2013
June
Nano named as founding member of ICMA
July
Nano hosts World's Largest Magnetic Art Exhibition in Hong Kong
September
Nanodots launches new Nanodots packaging (transforming canister) and Aversive Tech Coated Nanodots
November
Nanodots GYRO Launch with ThinkGeek
December
Kickstarter project - Polar Pen acquisition
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2014
January
Nanoport announced at CES Las Vegas
November
Nanodots Japan launches.
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2017
December
Nano Magnetics Ltd. closed its last funding round from a Venture
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2020
October
Nano Magnetics Ltd. announced a special Halloween event. This event included spooky Nanodots builds and a special Nanodots Jack o’Lantern giveaway.
November
Nano Magnetics Ltd. showcased Nanoport Mobile Technology, which allows you to combine two or more devices like magnetic building blocks.
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2024
January
Nano Magnetics Ltd. showcased their Nanoport Mobile Technology at the International Nanotechnology Exhibition.
February
Nano Magnetics Ltd. participated in the 37th International Conference on Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology held in Rome, Italy.
March
Nano Magnetics Ltd. showcased their products at the Coiltech Deutschland 2024 in Augsberg, Germany.
Timeline
The History of Nanodots
Round magnets are nothing new. In fact, they've been around since the ancient Greeks discovered magnetite. Despite the amazing magnetic discoveries that took place during the Golden Age of Magnetism (the 1800s), nobody thought to use magnets as the tactile Nanodot gizmo we love today.
In 1982, the discovery of Neodymium Nd2Fe14B revolutionized magnets by increasing their permanent strength by up to 20x. This was the dawn of a new era. Expensive and dangerously strong magnets were now accessible to the public.
Prices gradually fell in 2003 as international patents for Neodymium manufacturing began to expire, giving amateur hobbyists access to these unusually strong magnets in the comfort of their own homes. Powerful round magnets became commercially available for experimentation and amusement, unlike their block-shaped counterparts which were produced for their industrial utility.
In late 2008, Hungarian mathematician Janos Szaki posted the first online video of his magnetic dot discoveries. With a background in mathematics and geometry, Szaki considered groups of magnetic dots as their corresponding shapes. While certainly not the first to evaluate shapes by their points, Szaki further applied the concept to forming 3-dimensional geometric structures and pioneered the online magnetic dot craze.
This revelation took the world by storm. Szaki's videos became an instant viral hit and the community exploded, spawning fan groups and amazing new creations across the Internet.
Seeing the product's potential, entrepreneur Tim Szeto teamed up with Szaki to perfect the spherical magnetic constructors. The first magnets, however, were flawed; they were weak, inconsistent and not engineered for prolonged use and abuse. But this was just the beginning.
Together, Szaki and Szeto continued working on Nanodots. Size, strength and material options were all researched and debated at length. After dozens of iterations, the first Nanodots prototype was produced in December 2008. The developers, however, still weren't completely satisfied. Silver, gold and black editions were developed and the surface formulas were re-engineered for improved impact resistance and color lasting.
Early in 2009 the first Nanodots were released to testers. Feedback was extremely positive. Encouraged, Szeto partnered with Denis Saveliev and formally founded the Nano Magnetics Research Labs. By the end of 2009, Nanodots were garnering rave reviews, winning industry awards and becoming top sellers worldwide.
Today, Nanodots are sold all around the world and have been widely praised by popular media. Nano Magnetics holds the Guinness World Record for the Largest Magnet Sculpture consisting of 550,000 individual magnets weighing over 600 lbs (272 kgs).
Nano Magnetics continues to develop innovative products that enhance and build upon the Nanodots line. While virtually all development takes place behind a wall of strict secrecy, Szaki, Szeto, and members of the Nanodots Developers Program continue to test and perfect the company's latest discoveries for future release.