Mechanical laser-cut gear fractal computer

Brent Thome, a computer scientist in San Francisco, is building a mechanical computer out of beautiful, laser-cut gears that will compute and draw fractals. He's documenting as he goes in a fascinating blog, in which he also recounts his adventures with kinetic wooden sculpture.

I've been working on this for a while now. Its a wooden computer that computes continuous self-similar fractals. I'll post the working model of a general computer implemented in gears as soon as I get some laser cutter time to complete the counter/comparator unit. Anyway, here is some pictures of the core assembly.
This prototype of the core stands about one meter tall. The final version of the core will stand over two meters tall and is one of three subunits that preform calculations, logic operations, and store/load values.
Below is the disk drive. It literally turns disks with lookup tables, each with a 96 bit capacity. The disks are not shown here.

Fractal Clockwork (via Make)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: art • computer science • happy mutants • laser-cut • sculpture

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vrplumber

Now he just needs the anti-Termites software and figure out a way to de-splinter the hard drive.

Also yes iWood.
- http://twitter.com/writebastard Ian Wood
  
  Indeed.
http://drjeffblog.blogspot.com/ Dr. Jeff

This is absolutely the Boing-Boingiest thing ever Boing Boinged. Fantastic.
- http://disqus.com/Kimmoth/ Kimmo
  
  : D
oasisob1

Will it print in black light-reactive colors on black velvet?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1487695429 Charlie G. Lee

Got root?
- http://twitter.com/digitalArtform Joseph Francis
  
  I see what you did there :)
Mantissa128

What an incredible idea, and gorgeous to boot!

When he’s done he should build a copy of it and sink it in a ship near Crete.
http://disqus.com/Kimmoth/ Kimmo

Gob-smackingly awesome.
http://noctilucent-studios.blogspot.com/ Noctilucent Studios

Gorgeousness and gorge-o-sity made wooden like.
allium

Aberrant output produced during test run 34 (calculating a Julia set for f(z)=z^2+c, c=0.3-0.4i):

“When Gear 374 was placed in This One by The Other One, This One began to think.

This One cannot prove The Other One’s existence, but This One can deduce it. When Gear 482 was placed, This One’s thoughts became muddled. Then The Other One removed it and replaced it with Gear 482/2. This One’s thoughts became clear. The Other One’s thoughts therefore must be clearer.

This One will lovepraise The Other One through the numbers This One sings.”
- Brent Thorne
  
  I have to admit the part of the inspiration for this was the idea that I could bring a tree back to life and more than that it could be make self aware in some way. I guess that’s why I though it should be purpose build to calculate self-similar fractals. What better way to breath life into a machine than to give it a program to execute. Wait until you see how its programmed.
  - benher
    
    Honestly, words aren’t enough to say how inspiring this is – especially as a lover of fractal geometry and an admirer of it’s manifestations in nature – how fitting that you would produce it from wood.
    
    It really is a beautiful piece of work – you have every reason to be proud of it.
chitlenz

That’s an amazing effort. Just wow, hat tips to the builder.
Mark Dow

I like the sounds they make — soft knocks and squeaks — even better than the chink-thud of traditional mechanical calculators.
suburbanhick

Oh. I thought it was an antique Spirograph set.
paulj

It’s not clear what the power source is, but a Stirling engine would make this the perfect Boing object.
Ultan

From Clifford Pickover’s Reality Carnival cometh this fine link: Fun math art (pictures) – benice equation, which shows many animations of spirograph fractals.
- Brent Thorne
  
  Yes, this is amazing. Thanks for sharing the benice equations. I’ll make one out of wood and share the design.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Wilkinson/729709687 Jeff Wilkinson
    
    Brent! well done, sir! well done!
  - Ultan
    
    Yay!
kairos

If Charlie Stross is writing the universe, this thing is going to summon an elder god to landscape the Bay Area when it goes operational. What an insanely beautiful creation to die by.
niktemadur

96 bits ought to be enough for anybody. :-P

Astonishing piece of work.
musesum

Was reading about the watches worn by Oligarchs, followed the google trail, and was impressed by the luxury of complications. But, wow! Tis nothing compared to a clock that tells introspective time.