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Professional Juggler Creates Crazy Hinge System

By Rain Noe - February 28, 2014

in Object Culture

Sweden-based Erik Åberg has created a rather crazy system of hinging cubes together. Even more interesting is his background: Åberg is a professional juggler.

There's a subset of juggling done with not balls, but boxes: "Cigar box manipulation," as it's called, dates all the way back to the days of vaudeville, and we surmise it has led Åberg to his creation. Before we get there, we'll show you what cigar box juggling looks like. The following video is of juggling legend Kris Kremo, and scanning through the video should give you the idea. (Don't miss what he starts doing at 2:34!)

As for what Åberg's come up with, take a look at what he calls his "Ghostcubes:"

The mind-wheels have undoubtedly started turning in the furniture designers among you. As for how the Ghostcubes work, the information isn't freely available, but Åberg has posted a pay-to-download video "where the research of the Ghostcubes is explained" here. Buy-in's €10.

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Richard

10 years ago

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You might also consider Michael Moschen in this category. Lots of geometry, juggling, great stuff.
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Q Hart

10 years ago

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I'd like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to Ron Resch's Paper and Stick Thing, there is a marvelous documentary on vimeo about it, https://vimeo.com/36122966 Inintially he looks at how paper inherently crumples whic leads him down a path of geometric exploration of expanding, collapsing, tensegrity, folding and hinged structures. While the jugglers cool ghostcubes aren't new, they are most certainly in context with Resch's work. By watching the Paper and Stick Thing Film one might be lead to try making funky hinged things at no cost =) I learned about it by studying mathematical origami, there is a great internet rabbit hole called The Institue of Figuring http://theiff.org/about/about.html
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J

10 years ago

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Ron Resch created very similar mechanisms back in the 60's

Video:
http://vimeo.com/36122966

About 16 min in the video
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