Move over, Newton’s Cradle. MARBOLOUS is a quirky, hypnotic tabletop design object that demonstrates Newton’s finest discovery in grand fashion – gravity! MARBOLOUS, as its name would suggest, is a marble-based kinetic object that you can interact with, enclosed in a glass bell-jar for added dramatic effect. Within this bell jar lies a long and winding metal track for the marble to slide down through, and a tiny lever at the base of the toy lets you launch marbles onto this track, creating a mini marble-coaster of sorts. The track isn’t just a simple incline or sine wave – it takes unusual twists and turns, giving the MARBOLOUS a mesmerizing energy that’s fun to watch. All the marbles collect in a single file in a vertical chute at the center of the toy. Hit the lever at the bottom and it pushes the marbles upwards and outwards, launching them one by one onto their pretzel-shaped track (the makers are German, can you tell?).
Designers: Jan Friedmann & Sebastian Sauerbeck
Click Here to Buy Now: $157 $219 (25% off). Hurry, only 19/100 left! Raised over $240,000.
Designed to be an entirely analog device (there’s no battery, motor, or app here, just pure physics), MARBOLOUS is a fun engaging little mechanical gadget that invites you to interact and observe. Each MARBOLOUS ships with 25 glass marbles and 6 modular track elements in two styles known locally as Brezels and Anti-Brezel (Germany’s love for pretzels is truly unshakeable) that you can piece together. The entire marble-coaster of sorts rests on a base that has a lever built into it, and is covered by a glass enclosure so the marbles don’t accidentally fall out and get lost. In fact, aside from being analog, MARBOLOUS is made with minimal amounts of plastic too, using primarily metal, glass, and cork in its construction.
The stackable tracks come in two shapes which they call “Brezel” and “Anti-Brezel”.
What the MARBOLOUS really does is bring a tactile joy back to your workspace in the form of something that engages with your inner child, without using screens, apps, the internet, or anything remotely modern. It’s a contemporary toy with an appeal that transcends age in a way that’s truly remarkable. Whether you’re 6 or 60, there’s no way you’re NOT going to enjoy watching the marbles go scurrying down their metal railroads. The reinvention of your classic marble track, in fact, comes from the minds of Baffy and Jan, two adults who wanted to revive their favorite childhood toy, the marble run, for the modern age. In a story that only reinforces the toy’s underlying emotion of childlike happiness, Baffy and Jan left their well-paying cushy jobs in the middle of a pandemic and global uncertainty to design and develop the MARBOLOUS – because in these unprecedented times, we all could benefit from looking away from our screens and enjoying the childlike pleasures of watching marbles dance around in their choreographed routine!
A mechanical marble lifting system, integrated within the 360° metal track, dust-protected under a glass dome.
No electronics are necessary for MARBOLOUS.
The MARBOLOUS comes in a variety of colors, with black or white metal rails (no cheap plastic), and different tinted glass marbles to choose from. With a 16cm (6.3 inch) diameter, it’s perfectly sized to sit on any tabletop, be it a study table, a coffee table, or even a mantelpiece (just be cautioned because the dome is made of glass!) Given all that metal and glass, the MARBOLOUS weighs 1.6 kilograms (3.5 lbs), making it roughly as heavy as a MacBook, although chances are you won’t really be carrying it around anywhere! Just place it on a tabletop that’s easy to access, and whenever you need a spark of joy in your life, launch one of those marbles and watch it come cascading downwards as your heart floats upwards!
Click Here to Buy Now: $157 $219 (25% off). Hurry, only 19/100 left! Raised over $240,000.
The post “Hot Wheels for Minimalists” – This kinetic marble sculpture is an incredibly cool tabletop accessory first appeared on Yanko Design.
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