Gyro the Cube

Alumide in Motion
 
Designed by: virtox   contact | Shop: Virtox
2.4 w x 2.3 d x 2.5 h in cm |

Accused of being fake, witchcraft and simply impossible..
This kinetic sculpture is inspired by the unlimited freedom of 3d printing,
it wobbles and turns with a slight movement of the hand.
Now give it a good spin or puff of air and it erupts in erratic and wild behavior.

This is the 5cm / 2" version, see the Gyro the Forms section for other shapes and sizes.
Corner stand available separately.

Instructions
It is composed of four concentric cubes, each one spinning around a different axis.
The model needs some minor assembly:
Each inner cube has two knobs which need to be placed into the corresponding clamps in the parent cube. It's easiest to start with the inner most and continue outward.
And then... spin it away !

Notes
Do not be alarmed if your cube will not run smoothly at first,
Because of minor variations as a result of the printing process,
some need to wear in a little but will loosen up very quickly.


Be careful with (the assembly of) the Alumide version as this material is less flexible/robust than the Strong & Flexible materials.

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Could you make it in gold plated or won't that materail work?
Tue Dec 27 05:11:45 2011 by Sethhhhhh
The strong & flexible material has more give and is a bit lighter.
But it moves just as smooth.
Thu Dec 1 09:04:59 2011 by virtox
I've noted the assembly warning on the Alumide version. Has anyone found that the Strong and flexible versions move less smoothly? Or do they still work just as well, and the material just has more give?
Wed Nov 30 22:37:02 2011 by Mycophobia
This thing is awesome - cannot put it down.
Wed Oct 5 17:38:18 2011 by jlevine
Thank you all for the kind words! :-)

And yes, the Shapeways offices have a couple of (L) models on display.

The (XL) model was on display during the "CTRL-Z" exhibit in Haarlem the Netherlands.
Sun Sep 11 10:06:42 2011 by virtox
Saw one of these (possibly one of the bigger models) at the Shapeways gathering in NY yesterday. Wonderful fidget toy! Now it's on my shopping list.
Wed Feb 16 16:51:14 2011 by clsn
It's become my nervous habit idle hands play thing...I'm playing with it at the moment, in fact...
Fri Apr 16 04:13:06 2010 by TastyPaper
It's beautiful, and part of my daily conference calls now ;-)
Thu Apr 15 10:03:39 2010 by voorschot
Really cool design. Very smooth action, cannot stop playing with it.
Tue Mar 9 09:19:50 2010 by pete
Got mine today! Fun. I didn't figure out the hinge system at first (in my mind the gyro moved because of the way it was shaped, not the hinges) but it's very easy to pop it together. Thanks!
Fri Jan 22 17:58:46 2010 by TastyPaper
I received my printed Gyro the cube today and I was super pleased. It came out flawless and I could easily place the hinges in place. This is fascinating model and a extremely well done. Just rotating it in one's hands gently produces an interesting rotation effect. I hope you will pursue more models like this with Geometric shapes within shapes.
Wed Sep 23 19:14:39 2009 by davidsed
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