Creating stunning art isn’t just for artists anymore. A cute, tiny ball can do that as well. Sisyphus, named after Sisyphus, the king of Ephyra in Greek mythology, is a table with sand on top and a rolling ball that draws through it. The ball simply rolls through the surface leaving marks resulting in stunning sand art. Controlled by a robot placed under the table, the ball is a rotating metal that draws through the surface. A robotic arm with a magnet arm controls the movement of the ball on the surface.
The product is simply a regular table that comes with Silica sand that you can pour on the surface of the table creating a canvas for this tiny ball to roll through. The white-ish thin layer of sand will be the perfect place for this rolling ball to create pre-selected patterns that can be set using the Sisyphus app that comes with it. Hundreds of pre-built templates will be enough for you to choose from and surprise your friends once the robot has finished the masterpiece.
What a great view it is to watch this metallic ball rolling through the sand making its own path leaving beauty behind. It is extremely precise that you can even see minute details in the drawing. Really surprising that it didn’t even put a single uneven pattern. The LED ring lits up the entire scene with its really smooth and dramatic lighting. When placed in a dark room, it creates a masterpiece built on sand.
The Sisyphus app, as mentioned lets you control the movement of the ball and what it draws on the table. There are several user-generated patterns available that you can use as a template. Or if you are interested in making your own, that is also possible. It may seem simple considering the templates already is there, but trust me, it is a bit hard, no matter how good of an artist you are. Doing it on the app is pretty challenging.
After you completed presenting your robot-assisted masterpiece to whoever you wanted to show it to, there is a really cool way to start new. Sisyphus will erase everything on the canvas for you to create your new pattern. It is really satisfying to watch the ball rolls back removing its path all the way to the outside ring. As already mentioned, every single movement is extremely precise. There are no bad lines, circles, or patterns. Cutting-edge technology will take care of it. Sand art is pretty easy now.
How does it work?
The Sisyphus kinetic art table is made up of numerous crucial parts that operate together seamlessly. A thin coating of fine sand embedded in the table’s surface serves as a canvas on which the sand artwork is created. Magnets and motors are carefully positioned beneath the surface, guided by a robot – Sisbot and computer algorithms.
A meticulously prepared ballet of motion and art is performed when the SISYPHUS table is triggered. On the sand canvas, a metal ball is moved around by the magnets and motors below the surface. The metal ball, magnets, and motors interact dynamically to create stunning kinetic art patterns one after another.