Jonathan Sparks

Mechanical 7-segment clock

This clock reimagines what its means to have a digital representation of time by reintroducing a physical analog component back into it. Programmable leds were added to further enhance the display experience.

This is a first working prototype.

Sketchup 3D Model of the LED Lego wall.

This installation was commisioned by Ernst & Young for the Union Square Citibank branch. It is a custom designed and built, freestanding wall with conductive traces laid down on oversized Lego baseplates. Oversided Lego bricks were designed with connected LEDs and arranged in a way that when placed on the board in any orientation, the LED leads would make contact with the conductive traces and light one of the LEDs.

Click HERE for more details and documentation about this project

Seesaw Animatronic

A seesaw mechanism I designed and build for the 2021 Macy's Holiday Window Display. A geared DC motor drives a recipricating mechanism that drives pullies attached to a foam bear character's leg. This in turn drives the seesaw through a linear carriage and rail which in turn translates to the vertical movement of a foam reindear character.

Character models were provided, however I altered them in Fusion 360 to reflect the physical modifications that would be needed to integrate them into the mechanism and guide scenic artists.

This is a geometric pendent based on the logo of artist and designer Clara Santamaria It was designed in Fusion 360 and printed using a MSLA resin printer. It was then coated with conductive paint and electroplated with nickel. Finally, it was painted with white enamal paint and was affixed with a button clasp

Keepsake is an interactive installation currently in progress that consists of over 400 linear feet of LED tubes creating a structure inspired by neural networks

This model was used to secure the commision for the piece on site at Teacher's College at Columbia University

Click HERE for more details and documentation about this project

A motor mount design for an expanded xy plotter system

Mounts grip I-beam with series of wheels and are driven with a rack and pinion system. The y axis mounts also have slot for I-beam for x axis mounts

The working prototype and mounts can be seen here

A model of a helix sculpture that was then created out of white acrylic and used in interactive installion using projection mapping

The working prototype can be seen here

A design for a mirror made from mahogony and maple with intricate routing.

Mechanical layout for an atomata project consisting of a shoe walking at the bottom of the cycle then pausing at the top while a little figure of a cobbler works on the shoe

The gears in the back drive the mechanism, with motion being suspended half the time. Those gears connect through a hole in the base to drive an arm which is connected to a gear and 2 discs. The first disc has dowels that follow groves around the circle and spins freely when the gear it is attached to is engaged by the rack. When the gear is not being turned by the rack, it rotates freely according to the disc under it. This set will be connected to the other disc with a dowel on which the drive arms will rotate freely. It has a long grove in it to compensate for the varying movement of the gear/disc set. The second disc on top of that will rotate with the rest of the gear/disc set under it and has a dowel off center coming out of it. Attached to this will be another arm(or leg) that being tethered to the center circle will create a pattern of movement similar to a leg walking.

A somewhat "working" prototype can be seen here

The DNA Band was a pitched idea for a personalized jewelry project

Using a custom algorithm applied to a small segment of personal DNA sequence a generative pattern was created, extruded, and wrapped to create a custom arm band