Kaleidocycloids are a study of kinetic polyhedral structures that transform through continuous processes of inversion. Ring-shaped assemblies of triangular modules rotate around hinged connections, creating cycles in which the entire form inverts through itself. The name references kaleidocycles, the ring-shaped chains of tetrahedra that rotate continuously without stopping.
Geometric modules arrange in circular patterns that have certain kinematic properties which enable them to be transformed. Each element is connected to its neighbors through hinges, making a closed chain whose parts are coordinated to move together. As the modules rotate, the structure cycles through different configurations, but maintains the same geometric relationships.
Certain geometric arrangements create kaleidocycle forms that are viable, and the position of the hinges affects the way the transformation will behave. The trajectories that are traced by the edges as they move through the inversion cycles create curved three-dimensional paths, and these paths define secondary geometric forms derived from the kinetic motion itself. The investigation remains ongoing.
Photography: Phillip C. Reiner
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