This video from the awesome British toy store Grand Illusions demonstrates a cool collapsing mechanism, which involves only paper and elastic bands, and allows a rigid display to be set up in about a second and easily folded away again for storage. The French company that makes these is called Marin’s. (Beware, their site is flash-based.)











Anyone work out how to do a remake?
It looks quite easy. When folded flat the rubber bands are stretched and the vertical sections of the display has a flat cross-section.
When lifted up, those same vertical sections are no longer squashed flat and the rubber bands pull on the longer pieces of the front part of the vertical sections thus giving you a cross-section that looks like a ‘D’.
The D shape along with the foot that swings out at the bottom makes the display stand up.
// What's Trending
Raspberry Pi Design Contest
Maker Faire: Day Two
Maker Faire: Day One
Seventeen Sneaky Secret Hides
10 Things to Connect to Your Raspberry Pi
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Swiss Army Key Ring
A Photo Tour of Maker Faire
// What's Shared
A better way to slice a pumpkin
DIY Nerf Darts
In the Maker Shed: Minty Boost USB Charger
100 Dollar Store Organization Ideas for Craft Rooms and Beyond
Mad’s Mouse House
Lace Princess Crowns
I Have a (Puzzling) Dream
Play the Rings of a Tree Trunk Like a Record
// Most Commented
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Get Emergency Power from a Phone Line
Resin Casting: Going from CAD to Engineering-Grade Plastic Parts
Ten Tips for Screws and Screwdrivers
Ten Tips for Better Measurement
Makers on TV: Big Brain Theory
Arduino Announces New Wireless Linux Board
Grow: A Portable CNC Router System
Pitches with Prototypes: Solar Tracker