Transforming Design with Chuck Hoberman: From Toys to Origami

Summary

Chuck Hoberman describes his decades-long career in design, centered on creating objects that can transform. He explains the engineering and mechanics behind his most famous creation, the Hoberman Sphere, and discusses how he stumbled into the world of toy-making. Hoberman also imagines a future in which design objects are not static but instead transform, adapt, and move to create new experiences and functional benefits. He discusses his more recent obsession with large-scale origami structures that can expand and contract at the push of a button, and how this could lead to new inventions and applications.

The Hoberman Sphere: Geometric Magic
Backing into the Toy Industry: The Hoberman Sphere as a Hit
Transformable Design: Objects that Move and Adapt
Origami and the Future of Design: From Micro-Robotics to Adaptive Buildings

The Hoberman Sphere: Geometric Magic

Chuck Hoberman’s most famous design is the Hoberman Sphere, a toy that can expand and contract in a natural way. He explains that the toy is made up of about 400 individual plastic pieces, including triangles and pentagons, but the unique thing about it is that the shapes are not static – they’re dynamic. The 400 pieces move along their programmed path towards the center of the sphere, then radiate out in expanding universe style. Hoberman’s career has been about taking a push or a pull and converting that energy into the process of physical transformation.

Backing into the Toy Industry: The Hoberman Sphere as a Hit

Hoberman didn’t actually set out to make toys; rather, he was interested in serious engineering problems. However, he stumbled upon a unique geometric property while trying to create a sphere that could shape-shift in a natural way. With this property, he was able to design a sphere that changes its size while maintaining its shape. After noticing that kids were especially drawn to the Hoberman Sphere, Hoberman decided to sell it as a toy. The sphere put him on the map and led to other opportunities in entertainment and design.

Transformable Design: Objects that Move and Adapt

Hoberman’s central idea is transformable design: creating objects that are dynamic and alive, and in movement around us in order to create new experiences and functional benefits. Most designed objects are static through their lifetime and eventually disposed of, but Hoberman imagines a future in which objects can adapt and move to suit different needs. He sees possibilities for adaptive buildings, ones where space will transform according to different uses, or for pop-up shelters for disaster relief made from transformable materials. Hoberman points to a tent he designed that can be assembled in minutes because all of the pieces are hinged together.

Origami and the Future of Design: From Micro-Robotics to Adaptive Buildings

Hoberman has recently become obsessed with large-scale origami structures that can expand and contract at the push of a button. He cuts out sheets of plastic with a robotic arm and connects them together in various shapes to create these structures. He sees breakthroughs in origami design leading to all kinds of new inventions, from foldable furniture and buildings to micro-robotics and non-invasive medical devices. Hoberman imagines a future where entire buildings are made up of dynamic, transformable origami structures.

Conclusion

Chuck Hoberman’s career in design is centered on the idea of creating objects that can transform, and he has innovated in a wide range of industries, from toys to entertainment to architecture. He envisions a future in which transformable objects bring new experiences and functional benefits to people’s lives. Origami structures that can expand and contract at the push of a button represent a new frontier for design, offering possibilities for everything from furniture to buildings to medical devices. Hoberman’s work demonstrates the power of geometry and mechanics to create objects that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional and dynamic.