The teal top leaning on its rim on a pale studio floor, six flat petals spread open inside the ring

Flower in Motion

Spin it and the flower closes. Let it slow and it opens again.

One twist, one bloom.

At rest

Six petals lie open inside a 4.2 in ring. Stopped, the top leans on its rim.

Pinch and twist

Pinch the two shoulders beside the hub and twist it down onto a hard, level table. Your fingers are the only motor. There is no battery and no spring.

A weight under every petal

Each petal is one end of a little lever. The other end is a weight hanging below the hinge, and spinning swings those weights outward.

Spinning fast

As the weights swing out, the petals tip up as far as 50° and fold into a bud 1.8 in tall, turning on its tip.

Slowing down

As it slows, gravity pulls the weights back down and the petals open again, a flower spinning on its point.

Settled

It tips over onto its rim, open again, ready for the next twist.

Up close

A desk toy the width of a palm.

The ring is 4.2 in across and 1.1 in tall, and the whole top weighs 1.5 oz. It lives beside the keyboard and asks for a spin between emails.

The top on a wooden desk beside a keyboard and a mug
On my desk it sits next to the mug, and I spin it while a page loads.
The top resting in an open palm
It fits in an open hand, ring and all.
Close view of the centre: each petal on a short arm between two raised shoulders, spokes running out to the ring
Each petal sits on its own hinge between two raised shoulders. Those shoulders are where you pinch.
Looking straight down on the open flower inside the ring
From above: Six petals in a ring, with a spoke between each pair.
The top on a bookshelf beside a small potted plant
Between spins it sits on the shelf by the plant, petals open.

Spin it faster and the flower closes.

Most flowers open toward the light. This one closes when it spins. Every petal is the top end of a lever, and the lever's bottom end is a weight hanging under the hinge. Slide the speed and watch one lever, drawn from the top's own shape.

Resting: petals open.

spin axis petal hinge weight
One petal and its weight from the side, at true proportion. Up is the top of the toy.
The top turned over: the pointed tip in the middle and a weight under each of the six petals
Turned over, you can see the six weights around the tip.

Flower in Motion

One top, 6 petals on hinges, nothing to charge.

1
spinning top, with its ring, hub and tip
6
petals, each on its own hinge with a weight beneath
Ring
4.2 × 4.2 × 1.1 in
Flower
3.5 in across open, 2.6 in closed
Closed bud
1.8 in tall, tip to petals
Weight
1.5 oz
Material
PLA, in one teal
Power
A twist of the fingers
Plays on
A hard, smooth, level surface
The top at rest, leaning on its rim with the petals open

Good to know

Does it need batteries?

No. There is no motor, battery or spring inside. A twist of your fingers is all the power it uses.

What makes the petals close?

Each petal is one end of a lever with a weight on the other end, below the hinge. Spinning swings the weights outward, which tips the petals up and in. When it slows, gravity brings the weights back and the petals open.

Where should I spin it?

On a hard, smooth, level surface such as a desk or a table. Pinch the two shoulders beside the hub, not a petal, and twist it down onto its tip.

Does it stand up on its own?

Only while it spins. When it stops it leans over onto its rim, with the petals open.

What is it made of?

PLA plastic, all in one teal. The whole top weighs 1.5 oz.