Engineering the Impossible: 2026-2027 Roster

Project 1: The Alchemical Jug (Hot/Cold Dispenser)

The Effect

A clear water dispenser sits on a table. When the tap is opened, the performer can dispense hot coffee, iced lemonade, or hot tea on demand, while the visible water level in the jug drains at a matching rate.

Engineering Core: Multi-State Fluid & Thermal Systems

Thermodynamic Analysis: Engineering thermally insulated reservoirs to keep liquids hot and cold.

Fluid Logic: Designing a multi-path valve network and concealed reservoirs to manage four distinct liquids.

Flow Calibration: Synchronizing the drainage rate of the "dummy" water level with the output of the requested beverage using integrated sensor feedback.

Project 2: The Haunted Seance Table

The Effect

An unassuming 4-foot round wooden table produces sharp, analog "knocking" and "scratching" sounds on command via a silent foot switch, allowing the performer to communicate with "spirits" in a quiet room.

Engineering Core: Applied Acoustics & Haptic Vibration

Analog Sound Synthesis: Designing mechanical "striker" and "scraper" mechanisms that produce authentic acoustic signatures without using speakers.

Acoustic Isolation: Engineering silent mechanical triggers and switches to ensure no "pre-click" is audible in a high-sensitivity room.

Structural Resonance: Managing vibration propagation through the table surface to provide tactile feedback to participants touching the wood.

Project 3: The Oracle Box (Mentalism Interface)

The Effect

Audience members drop handwritten index cards into a wooden box. On the inside, the box secretly reads the information and wirelessly transmits the data to the performer’s Apple Watch or iPhone.

Engineering Core: Embedded Imaging & Wireless Telemetry

Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Integrating high-resolution micro-cameras and lighting arrays within a light-tight, confined volume.

Communication Protocols: Developing a secure, low-latency wireless bridge between an Arduino/Raspberry Pi and iOS devices.

System Integration: Designing a battery-managed mechatronic interface that allows the performer to cycle through inputs via a concealed remote.

Project 4: The Animating Origami Butterfly

The Effect

A flat, white sheet of paper is visibly folded into a butterfly. Once released, the butterfly exhibits lifelike behavior—flapping its wings and hovering—bringing inanimate material to life.

Engineering Core: Micro-Robotics & Compliant Mechanisms

Ultra-Lightweight Actuation: Utilizing micro-servos or Shape-Memory Alloys (SMA) to achieve high-frequency wing oscillation with minimal mass.

Compliant Structure Design: Engineering 3D-printed/laser-cut hinges compatible with the structural constraints of folded paper.

Power Management: Designing a micro-scale power delivery system capable of sustained lifelike motion without visible tethering.

Project 5: High-Load Stage Levitation (Lamp)

The Effect

A magician is lifted 18 inches off the ground while "seated" on a lamp. The height of the levitation is dynamically synchronized with the intensity of the light source.

Engineering Core: High-Factor-Of-Safety (FoS) Mechatronics

Dynamic Load Management: Safely lifting and holding a 300 lb dynamic load using high-torque linear actuators.

Control Theory: Developing a closed-loop system that maps light-intensity sensor data to precise vertical positioning.

Structural Stability: Designing a low-profile base that resists tipping during the ascent and descent of a human subject.

Project 6: Immersive Telephony (The Phone Booth)

The Effect

A participant enters a vintage phone booth and picks up the receiver. A voice on the other end "reads their mind" by reacting to subtle environmental triggers and inputs.

Engineering Core: Systems Integration & Environmental Sensing

Hardware Retrofitting: Integrating modern digital logic and sensors into analog telephonic hardware.

RFID/NFC Integration: Developing a sensor array to trigger branching audio pathways based on the participant's interaction with the environment.

Human-Machine Interface (HMI): Designing a seamless UX where the technology is 100% concealed within the "period-accurate" booth aesthetic.

Project 7: The Optical Time Portal

The Effect

A "Time Traveler" enters a high-tech chamber and activates a machine. In the narrative finale, the chamber is opened to show it is completely empty—the traveler has instantaneously vanished. Despite the cabinet appearing solid and transparent from the front, the audience’s perspective is flawlessly manipulated to create a total disappearance.

Engineering Core: Optical Engineering & Structural Kinematics

Optical Concealment Geometry: Designing and positioning reflective surfaces with high-precision angular tolerances to control audience sightlines and manage reflections under dynamic stage lighting.

High-Rigidity Structural Framing: Engineering a lightweight, high-strength framework capable of supporting reflective panels without deflection, ensuring the illusion remains stable during performer movement.

Modular Systems Integration: Developing a modular, tool-less assembly system that allows the table top apparatus to be rapidly collapsed for transport and redeployed in diverse theatrical venues.

Project 8: The Contact Demonstration System

The Effect

Inspired by the search for extraterrestrial life and public fascination with UFO phenomena, this tabletop system simulates high-concept "alien technology." Objects are captured by a glowing "tractor beam" and pulled into a nested spacecraft, while multiple units coordinate to "teleport" items across the platform. The routine uses these high-tech mechanical displays as a narrative bridge to a final reflection on the importance of human connection.

Engineering Core: Perception-Driven Mechatronics & Storytelling Systems

Precision Micro-Mechanisms: Designing small-scale, nested capture mechanisms and hidden transfer systems capable of reliable, high-speed object manipulation within restricted tabletop volumes.

Optical Energy Simulation: Integrating high-intensity LED arrays and custom lenses to simulate "tractor beam" energy transfer, synchronized with mechanical actuation for a seamless visual effect.

Multi-Unit Coordination Logic: Developing an embedded control system to synchronize mechatronic behavior across multiple independent units, ensuring repeatable "teleportation" timing.

Experience Engineering: Designing the mechanical "beats" of the system to support a specific narrative flow, ensuring the hardware is robust enough for educational performance environments while remaining perceptually "magical."

Project 9: Friendship Factory Enhancements

The Effect

Designed for Felice Ling’s signature "Clay Friends" routine, seen here, this project requires the engineering of three distinct mechanical upgrades to enhance live stage effects. The system must facilitate the rapid, invisible loading of objects into a cup via a "slam-triggered" shelf, a figurine with a dramatic telescoping neck, and a visual duplication effect where a single "clay" dove appears to split into two.

Engineering Core: Kinetic Mechanisms & Compliant Structures

Impact-Triggered Kinematics: Engineering a double-hinged loading shelf with a high-sensitivity latch that actuates upon downward impact and utilizes a spring-return system for automatic, silent reset.

High-Ratio Telescoping Design: Developing a multi-stage telescoping mechanism for a "clay" giraffe, featuring a concealed locking system that maintains high tension until triggered for rapid extension.

Mechanical Duplication Systems: Designing a splitting mechanism for a 3D-sculpted dove, focusing on seamless visual registration and concealed volume management to facilitate a convincing "one-to-two" metamorphosis.

Material Aesthetics Engineering: Utilizing additive manufacturing and specialized post-processing to ensure all mechanical components mimic the matte, organic texture of modeling clay while maintaining industrial-grade durability.

Project 10: The Firefly Installation

The Effect

Designed as both a stage magic routine and the foundation for an interactive art installation, this project moves past traditional "thumb-light" props. On a darkened stage, a performer will cause "fireflies" to appear, fly freely through the air, land on their clothing, and eventually be collected into a glass jar. Visitors in the final installation must be able to interact with the flying lights without ever perceiving the technology making it possible.

Engineering Core: Micro-Electronics & Invisible Kinematics

Micro-Electronic Packaging: Sourcing and integrating the thinnest possible wiring, micro-LEDs, and compact battery management systems directly into "everyday" objects (like a Mason jar) and performer wardrobe.

Firmware & Controls: Programming microcontrollers to accurately simulate the organic, randomized blinking patterns and bioluminescence of real fireflies.

Invisible Kinematics: Engineering micro-spooling mechanisms, fine-wire telescoping guides, and invisible thread (IT) rigs capable of smoothly levitating and animating the LEDs in 3D space around the performer.

Scalable UX Design: Developing a robust hardware foundation that can transition from a controlled, performer-actuated stage prop into a fully autonomous, public-facing immersive art installation.

Project 11: The Living Painting

The Effect

What appears to be a standard, static landscape painting on a canvas is actually a dynamic ambient display. The sun and moon traverse the canvas in perfect synchronization with the real-world sunrise and sunset of the painting's specific geographical location. The ultimate goal is an evolving art piece where the physical landscape shifts to reflect the live weather forecast of the outside world, creating a seamless blend of fine art and interactive magic.

Engineering Core: IoT Integration & Low-Profile Kinematics

IoT Telemetry & Embedded Systems: Utilizing a Raspberry Pi to continuously pull live geolocation and meteorological API data, translating environmental variables into synchronized mechanical and lighting commands.

Low-Profile Kinematics: Designing silent, ultra-slow-moving mechanical tracks and actuation systems to smoothly drive internal components behind the canvas within the strict depth constraints of a wall-hanging frame.

Material Optics: Experimenting with canvas opacities, visual arts materials, and LED configurations to allow backlit elements to penetrate the painting convincingly without revealing the hardware behind it.

Self-Contained Architecture: Packaging power distribution, wireless networking, and mechanical drives entirely within the frame, ensuring a robust, "plug-and-play" prototype.

Project 12: The Deployable Card Castle

The Effect

Serving as the grand finale of a sleight-of-hand routine, a pile of loose playing cards is dropped into a shallow box. Under the cover of just a few seconds, the loose cards instantaneously transform into a towering, ornate card castle. The goal is to replace a fragile, short-lived papercraft prototype with a robust, stage-ready mechanical apparatus that reliably deploys on command and can withstand the rigors of a long-term touring show.

Engineering Core: Compressible Kinematics & Materials Engineering

High-Ratio Deployable Structures: Designing a compressible kinematic mechanism that folds completely flat into a shallow tray but rapidly expands into a rigid, 3D architectural form using stored mechanical energy.

Actuation & Tension Systems: Engineering a trigger-release tension network (utilizing constant-force springs, specialized elastomerics, or compliant mechanisms) for a reliable, instantaneous "pop-up" assembly.

Materials Science & Fatigue Testing: Replacing traditional, tear-prone cardstock with advanced, fatigue-tolerant materials (e.g., Tyvek, Mylar laminates, or ultra-thin spring steel) to guarantee the prop survives hundreds of rapid deployments without structural degradation.

Design for Maintainability (DfM): Creating a modular architecture that allows a touring performer to easily tension, repair, or replace components in the field without specialized tools.