Here’s how it works… Each 3D printed Novatrope sculpture is mathematically modeled using the Fibonacci sequence and rotated at high speed over a ring of high-frequency colored strobe lights. When perfectly tuned, the flashes light up the rotating sculpture at precisely the right time resulting in an illusion similar to stop-motion animation. A rotary knob allows you to scroll through a variety of colors and frequencies, letting you select your favorite combination to have on display.
So what about Novatropes gives them this magical ability to animate? The concept of creating the illusion of animation through rotation is not new; early animation devices called Zoetropes operated on a similar principle. In these devices, a drum was formed with slots in the walls, lined up opposite to frames of a short looping animation. By spinning the drum and looking through the slots, the viewer would experience a short video playing composed of the images.
Novatropes are essentially a 3D zoetrope with a twist: Each Novatrope sculpture is mathematically modeled from the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem. But why? It was discovered by mathematicians a number of years ago that, when treated like a zoetrope, flowers and pinecones animate in a similar fashion, with their petals appearing to “bloom” infinitely outwards.
In order to incorporate this natural zoetrope effect, it was first necessary to learn from nature how the petals on flowers are arranged. This arrangement is known as Phyllotactic spirals and comes from the Ancient Greek phýllon, meaning leaf, and táxis meaning arrangement.
The driving mathematical principals which create these fantastic visions are the Fibonacci Sequence and Golden Spirals. The Fibonacci sequence has provided inspiration for centuries, and is one of the most famous formulas in mathematics. Each number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. So, the sequence presents as: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on forever. It’s been called ‘nature’s secret code,’ and can be found in designs across the natural world, including the structures of our faces, of hurricanes, seashells, and even the shape of our Galaxy! A Golden spiral is very similar to the Fibonacci spiral, but it’s based on a series of identically proportioned golden rectangles. Each rectangle is presented with the golden ratio of 1.618 of the length of the long side to that of the short side of the rectangle.
By starting at the vertex (rotational axis) of the sculpture, and strategically placing objects at each location that a flower petal should be (every 137.5°, a.k.a. Phi, the Golden Angle), the naturally occurring zoetrope motion of flowers was able to be replicated but with any shape imaginable! Hence, the name “Novatrope” was chosen, as an homage to the original zoetrope but with a new high-tech twist. Whether you’re inspired by the driving principles at play, or just enjoy beautiful, interactive art, these psychedelic desktop sculptures will catch the eye of everyone entering the room.
Brandon Keeber is both the Designer and Team Leader for Novotropes. There are currently five team members dedicated to making Novatropes a success, without whom the concept would not be where it is today. Every single person on the team is extremely thrilled to be able to share their hard work with the world through their Kickstarter campaign this Fall.
For Kickstarter pledges & support please visit this link: Kickstarter
Novatropes Official Website: https://NovaTropes.com
Media ContactCompany Name: NovatropesContact Person: Brandon KeeberEmail: Send EmailPhone: 18552396Country: United StatesWebsite: Novatropes.com
