Hoberman sphere

Hoberman sphere

A Hoberman sphere is a structure that resembles a geodesic dome, but is capable of folding down to a fraction of its normal size by the scissor-like action of its joints. Colorful plastic versions have become popular as a child's toy: several toy sizes exist, with the original design capable of expanding from 15 cm (6 inches) in diameter to 76 cm (30 inches).

A Hoberman sphere is not a true sphere, but a polyhedron known as an icosidodecahedron. The Hoberman sphere can be unfolded by allowing certain members to spread apart. This can be accomplished by feeding out a string or cable in the larger models. The operation of each joint is linked to all the others in a manner conceptually similar to the extension arm on a wall-mounted shaving mirror.

The largest existing Hoberman sphere is in the atrium of Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey. Fully expanded, it is 5.5 m (18 feet) in diameter. The motorized sphere weighs 318 kg (700 pounds), is constructed of stainless steel and aluminium, and continually oscillates between its compact and expanded states.

Its inventor, Chuck Hoberman, holds several patents on folding techniques, many of which resemble the designs of Buckminster Fuller but for the folding aspect.

External links

* [http://www.hoberman.com Hoberman.com ::: Welcome to the World of Magical Transformation]

* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=eyEgAAAAEBAJ&dq=hoberman Google Patents - Patent #5024301]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chuck Hoberman — (born 1956 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) is an inventor of folding toys and structures, most notably the Hoberman sphere. He won the Chrysler Design Award for Innovation and Design in 1997 and was a finalist for the 2000 Smithsonian National… …   Wikipedia

  • Geodesic dome — Spaceship Earth at Epcot, Walt Disney World, a geodesic sphere A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles (geodesics) on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics… …   Wikipedia

  • Nautilus-X — spacecraft Operator NASA Mission type Multi Mission Crew Exploration Vehicle …   Wikipedia

  • Liberty Science Center — is an interactive science museum and learning center located in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. The center, which first opened in 1993 as New Jersey s first major state science museum, has science exhibits, the world s largest IMAX …   Wikipedia

  • List of mathematics articles (H) — NOTOC H H cobordism H derivative H index H infinity methods in control theory H relation H space H theorem H tree Haag s theorem Haagerup property Haaland equation Haar measure Haar wavelet Haboush s theorem Hackenbush Hadamard code Hadamard… …   Wikipedia

  • Jersey City, New Jersey — City of Jersey City   City   Skyline of Downtown Jersey City …   Wikipedia

  • List of polygons, polyhedra and polytopes — This is a list of polygons, polyhedra and polytopes, by Wikipedia page. See also list of regular polytopes, list of geometry topics.*10 sided dice *24 cell *600 cell *120 cell *Antiprism *Archimedean solid *Bipyramid *Catalan solid *Chiliagon… …   Wikipedia

  • Grief Counseling (The Office) — Office episode name = Grief Counseling ep num = 32 prod code = 03003 date = October 12 2006 writer = Jennifer Celotta director = Roger Nygard season = 3 Grief Counseling is the third filmed and fourth aired episode of the third season of The… …   Wikipedia

  • The Fountain — Infobox Film name = The Fountain caption = The Fountain theatrical poster director = Darren Aronofsky producer = Arnon Milchan Eric Watson Iain Smith writer = Story: Darren Aronofsky Ari Handel Screenplay: Darren Aronofsky starring = Hugh Jackman …   Wikipedia

  • Lost in Translation (film) — Lost in Translation Theatrical release poster Directed by Sofia Coppola Produced by …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”