Japanese engineers design spinning top toy that keeps rotating for almost 20 minutes

• published: 02 Jan 2016
• views: 61

It's enough to make you dizzy! Engineers design the ultimate spinning top toy that keeps rotating for almost 20 minutes Two bespoke spinning tops were created by two teams in Japan Traditional design by master craftsman and quirky one by young experts Both designs were battled on a robotic platform and the craftmen's top rotated for longer than the alternative one - just short of 19 minutes To some, a spinning top is simply a toy, but in the hands of two teams in Japan, it is a honed device that can keep rotating for more than a quarter of an hour. A team of experience 'craftsmen' faced off against a group of young engineers to see which could design a version of the popular toy that would spin the longest. And it appears experience prevailed over youthful enthusiasm as the master craftsmen from a shop in Tokyo, took the crown. Their spinner rotated for almost 19 minutes - far longer than the toys are typically able to last on a small platform. The battle was filmed by NHK World Japan and has since proved a hit online. The competition tested the teams' design and manufacturing skills. To keep within competition rules, both tops have a diameter of two inches (5cm) and weigh less than 18 ounces (500g) being produced within one month. Yukio Ishida, Professor Emeritus at Nagoya University, explained it is desirable for tops to store up energy when they are twirled initially, but 'during the spin it's reducing energy loss as much as possible'. Leader of the master craftsmen, Takao Iseya has 63 years of experience in managing the 10-man Yanoc factory in west Tokyo, where no computer controlled equipment is used. 'This will be the summation of 60 years plus in business' he says of the design, which started life looking like a traditional toy-top made of metal. The craftsmen honed their design to make it more cylindrical, giving it a blunter tip made from high speed steel – the same material made to make durable blades and drill bits. In contrast, the young aerospace and mechanical engineers at Mitsubishi precision, led by Takao Tajima, 32 came up with an unconventional design with a hollow centre and spherical point. Team 'SpaceSpin' settled on using an outershell made of tungsten – three times denser than steel – with a hollow inside, the idea being that the doughnut shape would make it spin for longer. Tweaks involved lowering the centre of gravity to boost stability and using a ceramic durable ball with a diamond coating for the tip so that it would continue to spin, even when tilting. In the video, both tops are first placed on mechanical spinners to make them rotate at the same speed. 'The twirl they're getting is about the same a human hand would give them - 1,500 revolutions per minute (rpm)' the video narrator explained. The tops are then placed on two identical steel platforms measuring 0.8 inches (2cm) in diameter by robotic arms to ensure a fair test. At the beginning of the timed test, both tops look absolutely stable. At this point Mr Iseya says: 'So far so good. The biggest fear is that it will fall off,' while Mr Tajima says the top 'is centred, so it looks like we're in a good place for now.' In the video, both teams took the competition very seriously, staring at their creations and reacting with concern at the smallest of wobbles. At the five-minute mark, both tops were spinning in a stable way, but at 11 minutes, team SpaceSpin's had moved off the centre of the platform and has started to sway. Mr Tajima says: 'At the moment it's ok, I think it will last a while'. While both passed the 15-minute mark the 'Tajima Special' swayed even more, with the team leader saying 'this is pretty serious'. Both tops passed the 17 minute mark, but the Tajima Special toppled off its platform at 17 minutes 55 seconds, making the master craftsmen's top the winner. When the Tajima Special fell, the competing top was barely swaying, but its stability deteriorated more rapidly than its rival's, falling off its own platform at 18 minutes and 56 seconds. After the moment of victory, Mr Iseya exclaimed: 'We did it, thank you v much. We could all drink some sake!' Happy in defeat, Mr Tajima added: 'We posted our best record yet - we put everything into this so we're satisfied with this result.' Professor Ishida added that the battle went on 'far longer than we expected'. SPINNING DINING TABLE GROWS WITH A FAMILY Earlier this month, a craftsman revealed a spinning dinner table that can be expanded to accommodate more people - simply by twisting it. Scott Rumschlag, a former civil engineering student at the University of Michigan, invented the 'wooden expanding table,' which he has shown off on his 'Mechanical Lumber' YouTube channel. In it, he twists the circular table, which splits into quarters, revealing four arrow-shaped pieces of wood and a central eight-pointed star.