A mechanical loom made of 20,000 Lego pieces: It can actually weave fabric!
I think back to those days as a child, when I used to construct Lego towers and think I have made the most amazing thing ever. Looking at some of the stuff people are making with these humble blocks is really mindblowing! An expert Lego Technic builder, Nicolas Lespour has actually made a career out of building elaborate Lego models. His latest creation is the automated mechanical loom that is actually capable of weaving fabric! His awesome loom comprises 20,000 individual Lego components, including a fly-shuttle mechanism that delivers the weft into the warp. As amazing as it is, this machine is not very practical in that, “After two days of weaving, 70 meters of thread, the result is a 8×40-centimeter fabric, not enough for a sock.” Either way, this loom has to be seen to be believed. Unfortunately, the engineering student Lespour has already taken it apart, and is working on a smaller and faster model!
The finished Lego automated mechanical loom by Nicolas Lespour was designed for Fana’briques 2012 exhibition which took place the 29th and 30th June 2012. Fana’briques is a convention Lego enthusiasts organize annually in Rosheim, France.
