Gyro Spinning Top Puts An Optical Illusion Right Onto Your Desk

As it turns out, you’re not too old to still be playing with spinning tops. Or, in this case, a top that doubles up as a decorative piece for your office.

The Gyro Spin Spectre by Ghost Design, a collective of product designers based in London, takes physics and aesthetics and molds them together to form a precision-machined gyroscope spinning top sculpted from stainless steel.

But what really catches the eye is that the top poses almost as an optical illusion, as it tricks the mind into thinking it’s levitating. This is achieved through the implementation of ultra-fast ceramic bearings.

Beyond this optical trick, its modular design allows for a myriad of tricks and experiments. Interestingly, this spinner comes together without the use of glues or adhesives. Instead, a precision-machined push-fit design clicks all of its pieces into place.

It’s also noiseless, so you can have it spin silently while you work. The company posits that its longest spin time is just over five minutes. While there isn’t a learning curve to start playing with the Gyro Spin Spectre, you would have to practice a little to get such timings.

Currently, it is a project on Kickstarter, and it has already received more than 300% of its initial funding amount in just one day, and it is retailing for US$50.

[via Ghost Design]