This Strange 3D Clock Relies on Changes in Perspective
Mosivers of Twisted & Tinned took advantage of changes in perspective to build this strange 3D “Gimbal Clock.”
Alphanumeric characters are traditionally very two-dimensional representations, which makes sense when you consider that we designed them for drawing in clay tablets or writing on paper. It isn’t hard to imagine those characters extruded to three dimensions when you give them thickness, because plenty of signs and decorations look like that. But if you have some imagination, you can combine multiple characters into one 3D object, with each readable from its own perspective. Mosivers of Twisted & Tinned took advantage of that idea to build this strange 3D “Gimbal Clock.”
Each digit of this clock is one or more 3D objects that can represent at least three numerals (plus “null”), depending on their orientation. The first digit, for example, can be either a 0, a 1, or a 2 and only needs a single block. The second digit is much more complicated, because it has to be able to display any number from 0 to 9. It has three blocks, with the bottom block display 1, 4, or 0. The middle block can display a 2, 3, 5, or 9 (the 5 is an upside-down 2). The top block can display a 6, 7, or 8.
The clock reorients the blocks using small hobby servo motors. Each block has its own servo to rotate it around a horizontal axis perpendicular to the viewer’s line of sight. Each digit has another servo to rotate all of its blocks around a vertical axis perpendicular to the previous axis. In total, there are 13 servos.
In theory, that means that the clock can show the viewer five of the six sides of each block. But Mosivers chose to display the numbers as physical cuts extending all the way through the blocks, which means each can only show three numbers. The exception being the aforementioned 2, 3, 5, or 9 block. By rotating a block at an angle that makes all of the numbers difficult to read, the clock can represent a null character.
All of those blocks are, of course, 3D-printable. A Wemos D1 Mini ESP8266 development board controls the servo motors through a 16-channel PWM driver board.
The concept isn’t perfect and Mosivers recognizes a couple of problems, including that the “9” is difficult to read and that it isn’t easy to quickly identify the block on which to focus. But those seem like minor inconveniences for this sculpture that can tell time.