“I became fascinated with the challenge of connecting motors to my computer about 25 years ago,” Bruce recalls. “I originally did this with AutoLISP routines running in vintage AutoCAD,” says Bruce, “but now I use the Grasshopper Rhino 3D plug-in.” The third level is algorithmic path generation.
#MAGNETIC SISYPHUS TABLE CODE#
This code runs in Node on the Raspberry Pi. The second level is higher-level motion control, recently ported to JavaScript by Bruce and cleaned up considerably by Alex Wayne (/2fXDqs7). This was created by Brian Schmalz for an earlier project Bruce created, called EggBot.“Brian started many years ago with the initial crude C code I wrote for running my steppers,” says Bruce. At the lowest level is “firmware written in C, running on the SisBotBoard”. “Three levels are involved,” he explains. The requirements of the Sisyphus table are complex. “The size of the community and its willingness to share makes the Raspberry Pi unique,” adds Bruce. The community informed him that JavaScript is essential and Node.js runs well on a Raspberry Pi.
“The choice to use Raspberry Pi in the new home versions of Sisyphus was driven by all the 30-somethings that I listen to,” says Bruce. This was “more important than form factor and low cost,” he tells us. It was the Raspberry Pi community that convinced Bruce to switch over to a low-cost microcomputer. “Through many trials, and sometimes painful dead ends, I’ve learned that community matters.” “I don’t like change when it comes to something that works,” Bruce admits. “In fact, three still do, running every day in their museums.
#MAGNETIC SISYPHUS TABLE WINDOWS#
“For a very long time, all my motion-control artworks were controlled by Windows PCs running DOS,” says Bruce. If you can record the positions of your pen as you draw, you can compose for Sisyphus.” Controlling SisbotĪ Raspberry Pi is the perfect computer to control the Sisbot and create the works of art, but it wasn’t always that way. “But anyone can create paths for Sisyphus – just draw something without picking up your pen. “My patterns tend to be algorithmic since I never learned to draw,” Bruce continues. With Sisbot being a polar machine, these moves end up producing spiral arcs, but this still works since small arcs connected together can emulate any path. “It doesn’t use G-code for its file format, but the principle is the same: a toolpath determines where the ball moves and its speed. “Sisyphus is a CNC machine,” reveals Bruce. The heart of the project is the Sisbot, a robot that controls the metal balls which create the artwork in the sand.
As different as these creative skills are, both are absolutely integral to the final art.”īruce has been creating Sisyphus sculptures for nearly 20 years, and has permanent installations in Switzerland, Germany, and Australia. I still do! But over the years, I began to see a parallel with the relationship between making musical instruments and writing songs. “Initially, I viewed Sisyphus as a kinetic sculpture. “In my art, Sisyphus is a kinetic sculpture that rolls a ball through sand, forever creating and erasing beautiful patterns.” Bruce says that watching Sisyphus evokes a meditative feeling. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain for all eternity. Sisyphus is one of the entries in our Top 75 Projects community vote! “On the sand, a steel ball follows the magnet’s changing position, creating dune patterns in its wake.” “Sisyphus is a computer-controlled machine that moves a magnet beneath a field of sand,” Bruce explains. Hot on the heels of a phenomenally successful Kickstarter campaign, Bruce has a lot to talk about. We caught up with Bruce to chat about his latest project, Sisyphus. “My medium is motion control,” he tells us. Unlike Picasso or Rembrandt, Bruce doesn’t paint with oil and brushes.
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