Fractal magnetic base for the Insta360 Luna Ultra

Let's Make It! Think bold.

FRACTAL BASE

Insta360 Luna Ultra meets INNOVATION

Behold, the most versatile base solution for the Luna Ultra!

• Design ready for injection molding  process for scale up manufacturing.
• Sits on any surface thanks to its fractal Ball joint linkages.
• Artificial Leather (PU) lower+upper surfaces for maximum grip.
• Sticks to metal objects thanks to the built in magnets.

How does it actually work?

1.  Clip the Luna Ultra on the tiltable upper base.
2.  Magnetically snap the upper base on the lower base and adjust the tilting angle manually. 
3.  Place the assembly on the desired platform and apply gentle pressure to engulf the platform's surface geometry.
4.  The third and second level magnetic hemispheres rotate freely in the ball joint and get displaced due to the forces applied by the platform's surface geometry on them. 
5.  As soon as all third level hemispheres contact the platform's surface, stop pressing down and perform manual adjustments to keep the Luna Ultra vertical and stable.

References:

This project was first inspired by the widely spread 3D printed 2 DOF (degrees of freedom) fractal vises using rotating hemispheres (attached with sliders). Moving to the 3rd dimension, a simpler solution was required. To simplify the task, magnets were used to attract and “attach” the  hemispheres to their pods. The following research paper: The Fractal Hand-II: Reviving a Classic Mechanism for Contemporary Grasping Challenges. presents a similar idea but the model mentioned featured no ball joint mechanism and relied heavily on screws for rotation unlike the present uploaded model that uses magnets and spherical pods for attachment and rotation! 

This project is therefore far from a direct copy; rather, it represents a new vision that is “allegedly” a new invention.

Components:

Magnets arrangement in the base:

Mounting guide:

1. Install the 3rd level hemisphere magnets and glue the PU circles on top.
2. Install the 2nd level hemisphere lower magnet and screw the bracket with 2 M2x4 self tapping screws into the lower 2nd level hemisphere half.
3. Put the 3rd level hemispheres in the 2nd level pods to facilitate the placement of the 4 2x2 2nd level hemisphere magnets.
4. Screw in top 2nd hemisphere half on the lower half.
5. Apply all previous steps to the duplicates.
6. Put the 2rd level hemispheres in the 1st level pods to facilitate the placement of the 2 12x2 1st level hemisphere magnets.
7. Screw in top 1st hemisphere half on the lower half.
8. Install the 1st level hemisphere's 12x2 magnet and hemisphere block.
9. Screw the bottom 1st hemisphere half on the upper half.
10. Screw the square block on the hemisphere adapter with 1 12x2 magnet.

11. Finally assemble all magnetic parts together.

     

Inspiration:

The fractal magnetic ball joint contraption was further tested by installing it on a vise to prove the flexibility and versatility of the design!

The following picture represents the contration made in the reaserch paper mentionned previously.