- Bubble Machine
- Mathematica
- Twisting and Turning
- Machine with Minifig
Twisting and Turning
Inspiration
One day while I was thinking about worm gears, I came up with the idea for a model that I call "Twisting and Turning" (see Figure 11.29). I was thinking about how remarkable it is that when a motor shaft is turning a worm gear, another gear can be meshed with the worm gear either horizontally or vertically, or any other way! I wanted to explore a motion that would use gears mounted parallel to the table, because most every other model I had made used gears that were upright.
Figure 11.29 Twisting and Turning is a kinetic sculpture that moves in a random pattern over a table or floor.
Further Work
Twisting and Turning moves in a strange pattern across a surface. Here are some more ideas for Twisting and Turning:
Attach a pen or marker to the robot and trace the path that it travels.
Program the robot to change motor direction every so often at random time intervals.
Use the second motor to create another kind of motion on top of the robot that responds to changes in light level.