Do you ever spend your day sitting at a desk and fidgeting with every possible thing? Daniel Hallman, a mathematics Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, has a solution. Utilizing his background in electrical engineering, he created Strobilos, a line of mesmerizing, kinetic desktop sculptures that give your brain something better to focus on.
Strobilos, a Greek word meaning a “twisted or spiraling object,” is the perfect name for Hallman’s company. These desktop sculptures rotate in such a way that they create smooth, hypnotic illusions, like springs within springs or curves that seem to fold into themselves.
Since he was young, Hallman has always been into mechanical things, whether it be watches, fidget spinners, or desk toys. But the idea for Strobilos really took off when he was deep into his Ph.D. program and realized he needed something else to focus on. “I thought that I should try and figure out something other than math stuff,” he said.
That moment of burnout led to exploration. A YouTube short about a drill cutting triangular holes (instead of round ones) sent him down a rabbit hole of geometry and rotational motion. The design concepts came first, and then the prototyping began, with heavy use of Desmos, the graphing software he uses to play with curves. “I’m going to work with AI to design my own software to design them in more crazy ways,” he said.
When asked who Strobilos is for, Hallman kept it simple: “People like myself. A lot of white-collar workers who sit at a desk all day. It’s something fun to look at.” He sees it as more than just a toy — it’s an escape from digital overload. “It’s not a screen. You can stare at something that’s not a screen for once.”
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