April 22 2025
The name is a combination of "emotional cube" and "a cube in motion." As its name suggests, this is a little elf living in the forest, whom you might encounter as if in a Studio Ghibli animation. Its emotions change with its movements—it walks while performing somersaults, and its feelings fluctuate with each turn.
The original paper mechanism from the book
Picture of the 1st mechanism test (Failed)
Video of the 1st mechanism test (Failed)
Video of the 1st mechanism test (Failed)
In my initial attempt, I adopted the mechanical structure shown in this paper model—rolling drives rolling. However, the first attempt failed as I couldn't design a wheel structure capable of driving the square. For the final solution, I switched to using gears for drive, which not only solved the coupling problem but also brought two additional benefits: First, the cube rotates faster, creating a sense of vitality and lightness. Second, the addition of three gears made the cube's rotation direction match its forward movement.
Sketch Design of the character
Sketch design of the mechanism
Laser cutting process of the final product
Parts of the final product
A picture of the Final product
The working mechanism
Final presentation short video
Final presentation short video
The laser cutting technology has opened up exciting possibilities for my future projects, and I thoroughly enjoyed the creative process. Given more time, I would focus on improving the toy's appearance—while the current version is larger than depicted in the concept art, this is primarily due to the mechanical structure prioritizing function over aesthetics.