Wow your friends with your very own "Time Fountain"

Alright, this project isn't for the faint of heart, but nobody said stopping time would be easy. Instead of boring you with construction details that we don't really understand, we invite you to sit back and marvel at this crazy creation, inspired by such disparate elements as the artwork of Shigeko Hirakawa and the TV show Smallville. The basic principle of the "Time Fountain" involves fluorescent water for extra leet looks, and UV LED strobe lights that are timed in such a way to make the dripping water look like it's slowing down, stopping or even dripping backwards. It's probably best if we just show you the effect, so click on for the vid in glorious YouTube-vision and be amazed.

[Via MAKE]

[the.only.id.left @ Aug 9th 2006 8:21AM]

OMG!!! if they sold those thing, i would go and buy like a hundred (then connect them all up, or strip all of the stuff out and make a huge one)

that is seriously cool, damn it i wish i was smart enough to make one of those...

[Max v W @ Aug 9th 2006 8:22AM]

oh my god, i want it :D looks amazing! Really nicely done.

[Jim @ Aug 9th 2006 8:29AM]

You just know that you'll be seeing these for sale at Sharper Image and/or Hammacher Schlemmer next summer. Dude's gonna make a mil'! Nicely done...

[Danny @ Aug 9th 2006 8:41AM]

Anybody used to order those "scientific" catalogs in the back of magazines like Boy's Life (the Boy Scout magazine) that had plans for crap like hovercrafts and helicopters?

It had plans for "time freezing fountains" that I suspect are the same thing as this. He probably ordered the plans. I'm not taking anything away from him though, he's the first person I've seen to build one and I'm surprised at just how cool the effects were. Somebody in Las Vegas should implement a huge version of this in one of their wacky shows and have people jumping off a cliff.

[Nathan Ziarek @ Aug 9th 2006 8:56AM]

That is very cool. You are 100% correct Jim - that guy is going to make a boat load of cash...I hope. Sharper Image could just steal his instructions :-)

nate

[binaryvisions @ Aug 9th 2006 8:59AM]

Have you guys never seen one of these fountains before? I think they have them in every science museum on the planet.

Regardless, it's cool in this mini-application and cooler that he made it himself.

[Galley @ Aug 9th 2006 9:47AM]

At first I though the real-time interaction was incredibly lame until the drops were suspended; then it was like, oh wow!

[Chris Blakely @ Aug 9th 2006 9:51AM]

There is now officially no reason left to do drugs.

[Azzy @ Aug 9th 2006 9:58AM]

They have had one of these at MIT since at least 1990, probably earlier. Neat to make one yourself, though.

[amy @ Aug 9th 2006 9:58AM]

very very cool...but far from new. i used to play with this thing all the time.

http://web.mit.edu/Edgerton/www/WaterPiddler.html

doc edgerton rules!

[MNA @ Aug 9th 2006 10:01AM]

WOOOOOW!!!!!

[Prentiss Riddle @ Aug 9th 2006 10:46AM]

This reminds me of a modern dance piece I saw once in which a dancer timed pogo hops to match a strobe so he appeared to levitate around the stage. It was an eery effect.

I've been looking for more about the technique -- one choreographer who does something along these lines is apparently David Parsons. I'd love to track down some video.

[Jimmy @ Aug 9th 2006 10:50AM]

How do I get the instructions to build one?

[blah @ Aug 9th 2006 10:56AM]

I occurs to me that most of our understanding of reality comes from what we can perceive. We are getting better and better at inference, but the average person still deals in terms of what they can detect, directly, with their senses.

Then something like this comes along that allows us to visualize the universe, in a different way, that completely contradicts our usual perceptions. THAT is what science is all about, what makes it so pround, and makes it such a powerful tool to comming to a deeper and broader understanding of what's really going on in this reality.

[Edwaste @ Aug 9th 2006 11:17AM]

I saw Harold Edgarton Demo this machine back in 1981 at a Photography Seminar at RIT. He had a ball showing it off.

[Jeff @ Aug 9th 2006 11:24AM]

Well if Sharper Image does take this idea, they will have to pay. The unfortunate thing is it won't be this guy, the thing is already patented.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4294406.html

[strider_mt2k @ Aug 9th 2006 11:52AM]

While not really new, it IS nice to see in action at ANY time.
Good work!

[guardian__J @ Aug 9th 2006 12:27PM]

Wow... I'm surprised that people on here don't enjoy going to science museums more often. These are very cool though.

[Rex @ Aug 9th 2006 1:35PM]

Damnit...That is wayyy coool

[Kevin @ Aug 9th 2006 2:03PM]

I am surprised that people here haven't been to Quark's bar at the Star Trek Experience in the Vegas Hilton. They have two dispensers for their drinks that do this. (midori and slo gin if I recall correctly)

[pnarse @ Aug 9th 2006 3:48PM]

"There is now officially no reason left to do drugs."

Dude, did you not consider playing with this thing WHILE ON DRUGS?
..or is that going too far? :P

[Kevin M. @ Aug 9th 2006 3:50PM]

Amazing!

[Mikhail @ Aug 9th 2006 7:38PM]

WOW! Amazing! I want it! :)

[LvL @ Aug 9th 2006 7:49PM]

ARG i just CANT believe my eyes!!!
This is awesome!!!

[J.T. Mill @ Aug 9th 2006 8:30PM]

Wow, I just spent the last minute swearing explatives of amazement at my computer. Thank you Engadget ^^;

[Tyler @ Aug 9th 2006 10:41PM]

Wow. Somebody has WAY TOO MUCH time on their hands.

[Ben @ Aug 10th 2006 10:52AM]

This guy is selling 5 of them on eBay!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320015869886

[Eric @ Aug 10th 2006 10:05PM]

These are really easy to make at home; all you need is a dripping water source and a variable speed strobe light.

[Hannah @ Aug 12th 2006 7:29PM]

It doesnt look that hard to make,its all just led light effects