“Meditation has a branding problem”, says Tim Ferriss and he couldn’t be more right. For centuries, we’ve believed that meditation happened through sitting in certain poses, closing our eyes, chanting sounds, lighting incense sticks, and emptying our mind. Sure, these techniques hold true for a certain group of people, but meditation is much broader than that. Achieving a meditative state can be brought about through a variety of techniques. The Japanese believed that stimulating your brain (not emptying it) helped achieve a meditative state, which helped inform the design of their Zen gardens. These gardens promoted peace while giving the mind the right environment to feel in control and to clear itself of unwanted thoughts. Now while visiting Japan isn’t really a viable solution every time you want to meditate, MOTION ZERO brings that slice of Zen-like tranquility to your tabletop instead.
Designer: Giacomo Di Muro of MOTION ZERO
Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $249 (60% off). Hurry, only 7/670 left! Raised over $118,000.
Designed as a functional artpiece small enough to fit on your desk, MOTION ZERO engages your eyes, fingers, and mind to help you de-stress, calm down, focus, and boost your memory and productivity. The mini Zen garden features an all-metal construction with a rippled base, three chrome ball bearings, and a shimmering chrome egg that spins in the platform’s central disc.
To engage with MOTION ZERO, simply begin by spinning the egg in its tray and watch as it slowly begins defying gravity. The egg starts by rotating horizontally, but gradually shifts to a vertical position, rotating vigorously while hypnotizing you with the reflections off its chrome body. The three ball bearings, while they seem like decorative elements, actually control MOTION ZERO’s functionality. Slide them in their ridges and you can toggle between the tabletop spinner’s play and focus modes, control the spin time, or the spin speed.
Although it isn’t entirely obvious, electronics under MOTION ZERO help control the entire experiment, creating the hypnotic optical effect of the vertical spinning egg. The egg has a magnet concealed within it, while the base it rests on uses a series of cleverly positioned electromagnets (as thin as PCBs) to spin the egg and even guide its pattern or influence its speed. Sensors measure the fluctuations in magnetic fields to identify where the egg is, knowing exactly when to activate different magnets in the base. The design seems delightfully analog, but it hides its inner components flawlessly, relying on unconventional bearing-based controls that make anyone believe in its magical effect.
MOTION ZERO makes the case that the meditative state can be achieved without hyper-conventional techniques. By simply allowing you to focus on itself, the tabletop device’s spinning egg gets you to enter a state of mental tranquility. The dazzling reflections off the curved chrome surface allow your mind to instantly forget everything else it was distracted by, and the egg actually invites you to nudge it ever so gently so that your hands are engaged as your eyes and mind are.
Timer – The slider has 6 positions. Infinite spinning time, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes.
Focus Mode – The metal egg will move around influenced by 21 different “randomness” sensors.
Anchor Mode – This mode helps bring back focus to the metal egg. Perfect if your mind tends to wander during meditation.
Play Mode – Ranging from from falling over, to barely standing up to high speed without any sideways movement.
The beauty of MOTION ZERO is in its ability to appear analog, but hide its electronic sophistication rather well. The three ball bearings seem like minor accessories to the spinning egg, but in fact, control the entire experience. The first bearing lets you alternate between Focus, Anchor, and Play modes, allowing you to choose whether the egg spins in circles, in place, or requires you to nudge it every now and then. A second bearing lets you control the spinning egg’s speed/intensity. Slide the bearing up or down its rippled base and that informs the egg’s spinning frequency. The third bearing influences the egg’s spin-time. At its lowest position, the egg spins entirely on its own, collapsing after 5 minutes thanks to gravity and friction. At its highest position (infinity), the egg keeps spinning indefinitely, recreating the almost unnerving effect of being stuck in a time-loop or a dream (like in that famous Nolan movie). A subtly concealed USB-C port powers your MOTION ZERO, allowing it to pull its visual trickery with flawless ease as people wonder how it defies gravity, logic, and science.
Visual and Tactile Meditation – Every line, curve, texture, and material was chosen and designed to engage your hands as well as your eyes.
The entire process feels like an act of meditation. From adjusting the bearings, spinning the egg, and watching it go from horizontal to vertical as it rotates furiously. Time and space can vanish once your eyes are affixed on the spinning egg, and whether you’re a novice or an expert at meditation, the entire exercise is highly effective at getting you to focus on the egg and forget everything else around you… a mental state that anyone could argue is highly meditative in nature. Through this, MOTION ZERO aims at boosting your ability to focus, destress, and increase your mental capacity with time. Additionally, it also helps increase your creativity as well as improve your sleep, but don’t take our word for it. Available in silver and black variants, you can grab your own MOTION ZERO for as low as $99.
Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $249 (60% off). Hurry, only 7/670 left! Raised over $118,000.
The post This Tabletop Spinner puts the Meditative Power of a Japanese Zen Garden on your Desk first appeared on Yanko Design.
