This is a fun Lego creation of mine. Basically it is a large 2D version of a Hoberman sphere. Why did I not make a large Hoberman sphere? First, the parts to make the circle cost almost $80 US. Second, I have other more pressing projects I am working on.
So here is what I call the Blossoming Lotus. It is about 4 feet in diameter when completely extended and is pretty impressive. Its relatively easy to make. My design consists of two interlocking pieces: a single-claw arm and a double-claw arm. The parts needed to make the two arms are illustrated below.
To make the entire circle, one needs 20 copies of each arm. The job then is to put them all together. I will post detailed instructions on a website in the near future. For now, here is a closeup of the circle when completed.
And of course, the project wouldn’t be complete without that animation above made with MLCAD, L3PAO, and POV Ray. The animation was straightforward—once you get the geometry right (which is not straightforward). I will post a lesson on the geometry and the animation of this creation in the future as well. For now, enjoy.
Kevin Knuth
Albany NY
This post was written by drknuth on May 10, 2007
You do realize that you have the world’s coolest job, don’t you?
Trapped in the paper mines,
anita