I've been working on Sisyphus for quite a while now (17 years, though not continuously). The challenge of creating a machine designed to roll a steel ball through a field of sand sounds relatively simple (if you're into DIY CNC), and in some ways it is. The hard parts involve making the machine and its software not only move the ball faithfully along different paths, but do it "gracefully" -- smoothly, silently, and, given its name, endlessly. Most of my efforts during these years were focused on producing large-scale versions, intended for museum settings. Two have found permanent homes in beautiful spots (in Switzerland and Australia), and visitors to, and staffs of these museums get to see them daily. But the more time I spend working on, refining, and just plain living with these things, the more I've come to view Sisyphus as an "instrument". Something I want to get into more people's hands, hearts, and minds.
Laser cutting cherry furniture for beta-testers' prototypes
Toward that end, my wife (and now business partner) has joined me in pushing hard to release a new, table-top version intended for home use. Our goal is to make them available in less than a year's time. I will be updating our progress periodically...