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Start with Fischertechnik.
It's like LEGO, but German, and much much better.
It even does things like computer controlled pneumatics.
http://www.fischertechnik.de/en/Home.aspx

"Get a kit, start building/programming. Work from there."

Definitely not, in my opinion. Lego Mindstorms are toys designed for children, not something for someone serious about either robotics or programming.

For the mechanical components, FischerTechnik is vastly superior, and has been for decades. It is used at universities for mechanical engineering and robotics projects.

For real-world programming and automation that are suitable for both hobbyists and professionals, few things beat the Arduino family of devices.

Wow, this site sucks. Try the english section of the german site.

Indeed. What about the cool kits from fischertechnik (or from their US branch)? They have many nice toys in their "computing" series.

Lego looks pale and boring in comparison to fischertechnik. VW even built a complete plant using fischertechnik to verify their plan design (see here, it's towards the end). They offer a driver in C, PASCAL, etc. They have IO extensions. Everything's there.

But what about using it for prototyping ? Fischertechnik from germany is also selling its block for industrial prototyping.

Anyone used Fischertechnik?

Yep. I still have several boxes full of them (in Belgium). Most of them are in good shape, although some metallic parts are a bit rusty now (damn wet cellar!).

These were wonderful toys. I started with the basic sets when I was rather young (I think it was in 1974 - I was 4) and then got the more advanced sets as I was growing. I eventually got several electronics sets and those that allowed me to play with some basic IC chips, such as the 7400, 7404 and others. That's probably what got me interested in electronics and computers.

I built several small robots with them (well, things that had blinking lights, motors and several switches and light sensors - nothing very complex on the logic side). I also built a rather dangerous thing with Fischertechnik and some rubberband: a crossbow that could fire small darts. It had three light sensors and it could rotate automatically if it detected a difference in lighting (e.g., shadow from someone or some object in front of it). It would orient itself towards the object and then fire. My parents were not amused, especially when they saw that it worked as advertised and needed a tool to remove a dart from the door frame... So I had to disassemble it quickly. I also built several more useful and more peaceful things with these great toys. I remember that I used them in a school project.

I thought that they had stopped producing them, but I see that there is a web site about Fischertechnik including a list of dealers, new products, etc.

Or Fischer-Technik! I had a complete set of these and found it much more stimulating than Legos. These are high-quality components with all sorts of motors, gear and chain systems, other mechanical tidbits. They might even explain why I ended up getting an engineering degree. ;)

May I put in another plug for a German engineering toy, Fischer Technik (US distributor) and Fischer Technik (parent company)? No, I don't own their stock or get any kind of bonus, I just think it's a great system that deserves to be more widely known. The picture you see on the US distributor's site is pretty typical of what kids used to build with it: highly functional designs that don't try to imitate looks. It's the ultimate geek toy for the budding engineer.

No, no. Try the real link, in Germany:

www.FischerTechnik.de

Lego was wonderful, and I personally spent tons of time in my childhood toying with them, but the really amazing geek-child toy was Fischertechnik.

I know some people are fans of Erector, some are fans of Tinkertoys, and others fans of Lego, but I've yet to meet someone who played with Fischertechnik that didn't end up loving it above all else.

A while back I asked my Dad, "You know, I wish my kids would have something like that to play with." He asked me if I remembered how he told me to put the pieces back in the box, each piece in its own little slot, when I was a child? I did. He asked me if I remembered why he told me to do that?

Because one day, when I had kids of my own, I'd want it for them.

Dad, while finding it increasingly hard to find Fischertechnik in America (you can still get it, but it's not available in major department stores like it once was), saw the direction the company was heading, didn't like it, and knowing what a great toy it was thought ahead, way behind where my brother and I were thinking.

He still has all of it. Every plastic and metal piece.

I'm going home this weekend, and I'm going to build myself a crane with it. :)

I never really liked Lego. But Meccano/Erector Set also seemed pretty limited. To me, the most interesting construction toy was Fischer Technik. It offered many more options for building mechanical devices than either Lego or Meccano, and it offered analog and digital control circuitry, as well as computer interfaces, long before Lego. Fischer Technik is still a great system for prototyping and is actually used in industry for that purpose.