Snapping Hinged Infinity Cube, Magic Cube, Flexible Cube, Folding Cube, Yoshimoto Cube

thingiverse

The Snapping Hinged Infinity Cube, also known as the Magic Cube, Flexible Cube, Folding Cube, or Yoshimoto Cube, is a fun and challenging puzzle to build. My students and I love working with this cube, so I decided to create a hinged version for added flexibility. Building the magic/flexible/folding/infinity cube is relatively easy using wooden or cardboard cubes. According to Reference 3, Naoki Yoshimoto invented this structure in 1971, although I'm not entirely sure about this claim. In my project, I started by creating a large model using 48 polydron squares and adhesive tape to track the symmetries of the structure. This was an appealing challenge for me, and I took advantage of previous work with snapping joints. The result exceeded my expectations. Assembling the cube can be frustrating at first, but once you get the symmetry right, it's well worth the effort. You could also try printing the cubes in different colors and mixing them to explore the symmetry further. Each cube measures 36mm x 36mm x 36mm. I created two versions: a regular version with rounded joints and a loose version that allows for more maneuverability. Both versions printed well on my Flashforge Creator Pro, but if your printer bed is too small, you can try printing just the halves. For my Flexible TPU model, please refer to https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2786094.