Oct 8, 2016 | By Tess
Dutch puzzle maker Oskar van Deventer has just unveiled what might be his coolest creation to date: a 3D printed geared whiplash. If you’re wondering what that could possibly consist of, it is essentially a handheld yoyo contraption made out of gears that can be retracted and effectively ‘whipped’ by simply manipulating the base gear. The toy, though perhaps not as useful as an actual whip, is an insanely cool feat for the puzzle maker, whose other creations often include gears and intersecting pieces.
Van Deventer explains that he was inspired to create the 3D printed geared whiplash after hearing from his friend who was searching for a flexible object with joints. While the coiling gear stick van Deventer made does not have any joints and thus was not a fitting solution for his friend, the puzzle maker was pleased with his creation and found it be to be a fun and tactile piece of kinetic art.
As the maker explains, he initially designed a motorized version of the geared whiplash (which can be seen in the video above), but eventually found that just manipulating the gears by hand actually had better and faster results. As he explained in an interview: “I first built a motorized version, but playing with the parts I discovered that I could also move it manually like a whip. So I attached a handle, resulting in the manual version.”
By simply turning the gear closest to the handle, there is a chain reaction wherein the first gear turns the second gear, which turns the third and so on. Not only does turning the first gear make the others move, but the way in which the gears are connected means that they turn increasingly quickly. In other words, when gear 1 turns around gear 0, gear 2 then turns around gear 1 twice as fast, and gear 3 turns three times as fast, etc. The result, is a whip-like effect, where the last gear coils in and whips out at the fastest speed.
For the moment, Oskar van Deventer is selling a 3D printed version of his geared whiplash through his Shapeways store, though it will cost a pretty penny to order (about $250). So, while the device might seem like the best possible toy to play with at your desk on a slow day, you’ll have to dish out a fair amount to get your hands on it. Currently, van Deventer is hopeful that a toy company will be interested in putting his 3D printed geared whiplash into production, which could potentially lower the cost down the line.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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