I’m James Goh, 23, a 3rd year Engineering student at the University of Cambridge from Hong Kong and Apprentice of WCSIM (soon to be Freeman!).
Since 2016, I have been optimising the design of spinning tops as a design & build project/hobby. I research aerodynamics and tribology, collect scientific data from my prototypes, and develop physics models which help to inform and optimise design parameters including flywheel, tip and base materials, flywheel height and inner and outer diameter etc.
A couple years ago, I started applying my expertise to fidget spinners which share a lot of the physics. After a couple prototypes, I made the record-breaking ‘Pulsar’ fidget spinner. This spinner had a large 70mm pure tungsten flywheel, and the whole spinner weighs around 400g. The core is hollow and made from aluminium. As a result, the mass is concentrated outwards allowing for efficient energy storage. The bearing is a small hybrid R188 size with silicon carbide balls, providing very low friction and good wear resistance. Altogether, the spinner is designed to start with a lot of energy and lose it as slowly as possible.
I broke the Guinness world record on the 16th of December but had to wait 4 months for it to be approved in order to avoid paying a hefty fee. The record was set by spinning the spinner with one twirl and balancing it on one finger for the whole duration of 30 minutes 34 seconds. It was recorded and observed by 4 timekeepers and witnesses.
I hope to leverage this achievement on my YouTube channel, HiPer Tops, to try commercialising the design at a small scale. I am interested in entrepreneurship, and this project has proved to be a valuable learning experience – as a solo worker, I design, manufacture, fund, market and sell the products.
If there’s anything specific you would like, do let me know. If something is published, it would be great to mention or link the YouTube channel and possibly my website: hiperspinningtops.com. Thanks!