Yoshimoto Cube(boingboing.net)

44 pointsby mhbvor 17 Jahren17 comments

http://boingboing.net/2009/01/19/fun-with-the-yoshimo.html

17 comments

kilianvor 17 Jahren

Microsoft handed those (well, not the 'double' one) out a couple of years ago as Silverlight/Expression swag, pretty sweet toy and fun to play with.

You can make a continuous folding 2d variant with paper fairly easily as well, though I don't know for the life of me how it's called.

mhbvor 17 Jahren

Buy one ($65!):

http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay?catalogI...

ecyrbvor 17 Jahren

The build quality on this one is not as high as I had anticipated (considering the cost). Though it is still good for blowing a mind now and again.

Keyframevor 17 Jahren

ha! I just googled for it after I saw it, same link. However cool it might be, I'm not paying 65$ + s&h for it!

bockrisvor 17 Jahren

I feel the same way about a Gomboc (self righting shape) http://www.gomboc-shop.com/

I'd love to play with one and leave it on my desk as a fidget toy but it's not worth 99 euro to me for just that.

cjgvor 17 Jahren

But at least there is a reasonable reason for the Gomboc's high price: the exacting tolerances on the shape.

dustmopvor 17 Jahren

I remember getting a Taco Bell Star Wars toy just like this when the special edition came out.

http://www.listia.com/auction/20297

It does the infinite folding thing but doesn't split into two stars.

nazgulnarsilvor 17 Jahren

reminds me of disassembling a sphere and reassembling into two spheres. damn topologists.

RiderOfGiraffesvor 17 Jahren

You're thinking of the Banach-Tarski Theorem, sometimes called a paradox. Mentioned here several times.

http://searchyc.com/banach+tarski

Same connection was made last time: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=416765

jclvor 17 Jahren

The actual article (linked and quoted in the BoingBoing one) goes into the connection in much more depth, pulling quantum mechanics and the Big Bang into the mix:

http://forgetomori.com/2009/science/folding-the-yoshimoto-cu...

RiderOfGiraffesvor 17 Jahren

Interesting. When I get back to a fast connection I'll track that down. Thanks.

Luytvor 17 Jahren

Make one yourself from colored paper. Video showing how it's done at http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1014711/crazy_star_cube_nice_p...

Luytvor 17 Jahren

Oh, and this is a simpler variant, but interesting nevertheless... http://www.metacafe.com/watch/783529/unbelievable_white_or_b...

nollidgevor 17 Jahren

I made one out of wooden cubes and two colors of duct tape.

pavel_lishinvor 17 Jahren

Can you post a how-to? This would make a pretty great present.

nollidgevor 17 Jahren

Should mention that I wasn't extremely happy with the result, although it's still kinda neat. The fibers in the tape kind of hang off the edge (perhaps a sharper knife would help with that), and the whole thing is rather sticky, since the edges start peeling up a little. Perhaps something like gaffer's tape would work better.

Not sure I'll get around to posting a full how-to, but the idea is that I took 1 or 1.25" square dowel and cut it into 8 cubes with a hand saw & miter box (table saw with a fence would give more consistent cuts though). Taping involved putting down a piece of tape sticky-side-up, setting down the cubes adjacent to each other, and then cutting off the excess with an x-acto knife.

You should be able to follow a video of one of these to get the joints and proper colors figured out.

RiderOfGiraffesvor 17 Jahren

Some discussion from a year ago, and a link to another video.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=416514