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The Kid Should See This

Kinetic wooden wave sculpture with a little boat and jumping fish

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These waves ebb and flow so smoothly as the fish jump between them. An empty boat quietly floats on the water. Observe the beautifully crafted components of this kinetic wave sculpture as the turning crank keeps the waves moving. The piece is by Japan-based kinetic artist Ross McSweeney, who writes:

This is a Kinetic wave sculpture made from mostly all wood. Each wave is driven by a cam that moves the wave both horizontally and vertically. There are 3 different type of fish, most of which don`t actually jump out of the water, but I like the look of them. Originally it was going to run only off a motor, but I don’t like the noise so I made the motor box optional. As usual the gear template was created with Matthias Wandel‘s excellent gear generator software.

kinetic wave machine from above
kinetic wave machine from below
Watch more automata and kinetic sculptures:
• Curious Contraptions by automata artist Paul Spooner
• Tantalus Mackerel and a School of Fish automata
• Hand cranked mechanical singing birds
• Mekanikos vs. The Minotaur, a charming wooden machine
• Breaking Wave: An anamorphic kinetic sculpture
• How the V&A recreated an 18th-century Mechanical Theatre

Bonus: How to build your own Wave Machine physics demo.

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