The Cyclotrope

My brother recently directed me to a project by digital animation student Tim Wheatley called the Cyclotrope–an animation machine that uses a bicycle wheel as its mechanism for movement. The range of animations that Wheatley has experimented with is phenomenal, from movements similar to those seen on zoetropes and phenakistoscopes, to the animation of curved wires, much like the chameleon top of the nineteenth century. The best part is that Wheatley is interested in ongoing experimentation with the device. Access his project blog here. It combines some of my favorite things–animation and bicycling, and has been making the rounds on bike sites, too, like here and here. So far it’s really well documented (the video is great) and seems so full of potential. I’m really excited to see where it goes, both literally and as a concept!

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