HelioGyre is a decorative vintage connected object with a scientific purpose.
The design of this unusual work of art could make it exist in novels from H.G. Wells or Jules Verne. Or more recently, in a steampunk fiction. Could it also have been part of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings?
HelioGyre actually exists and has a scientific purpose: observe a well-known physical phenomenon.
It features noble materials such as Walnut wood, mirror-polished Brass and Stainless steel.
The pictures below show overviews and details of HelioGyre.
Function
The main function of HelioGyre is to indicate the location of the Sun. It works all time. Even when the Sun has gone down. Its skeletal brass sphere supports an axis fit with two polished globes. One is made of golden brass. The other one is silvery and made of steel.
HelioGyre – Accelerated Sun Movement Over Day
On this animated picture, the yellow sphere shows the movement of the Sun during a day. The HelioGyre skeletal sphere is always orientated in such a way that its diameter is pointing the Sun, and the golden globe is on the side of the Sun (as a result, during night, because the Sun is then located under the horizon, the golden globe will be pointing down).
For that purpose HelioGyre has two combined rotary movements. The picture here after illustrates this action.
- One rotation turns the horizontal circular base within the walnut pedestal.
- Another one moves the skeletal sphere vertically thanks to the four base wheels.
A hidden microprocessor and two hidden motors permanently control these rotations, depending on:
- the location of HelioGyre on Earth;
- the current date and time.
This information is retrieved automatically through a wireless connection.
Optionally, a mobile application lets you modify the HelioGyre’s way of working. For instance you can activate a decorative mode. HelioGyre will then animates at a visible speed, such as in the presentation video. The speed can also be adjusted to your taste.
In any case, HelioGyre operates in silence.
Dimension
You may wonder how big it is. Short answer it is 16cm wide by 25cm tall, and you can find more details on the Specifications page.