In celebration of the Christmas season, we've designed a compliant Nativity mechanism which showcases the "Wyrd" kinematic behavior previously shown in other fun 3D printable models. For this rendition, we've designed a nativity where the star stays focused in the center as the walls and ceiling shift around it. Feel free to print your own to #LightTheWorld!

A Wyrd mechanism is a compliant mechanism that has motion similar to a double parallel mechanism. "Wyrd" means Weird Yet Reliable Displacement because of the unintuitive nature of the motion.

The mechanisms are examples of how compliant mechanisms can be used to create specific desired motions. The coupler point rotates but does not translate, as if the point were pinned to ground but it is actually unconstrained. The mechanism workings are disguised by integration with various shapes.

Learn More

This design was developed by the Compliant Mechanisms Research Group (CMR) from Brigham Young University (BYU). Follow us at @byucmr on Instagram or visit the BYU Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) website to learn more about compliant mechanisms.

You can also check out another version of our wyrd mechanism here.

Technical Information

To learn more about compliant mechanisms, see the BYU Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) website or these books: Compliant Mechanisms, Handbook of Compliant Mechanisms 

Intellectual Property

The downloadable 3D print files provided here may be used, modified, and enjoyed for noncommercial use. To license this technology for commercial applications, contact:

BYU Technology Transfer Office
3760 Harold B. Lee Library
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
Phone: (801) 422-6266
https://techtransfer.byu.edu/contact