Rolamite: Inexpensive, Nearly Frictionless Bearings

This project is so easy it only takes one step to explain.  Hooray!

A sample 5 minute construction using duct tape, a rubber band, clamps, wood, and some hex-shaped spacers is in the pictures.

Here's a video (not my own):


Read about Rolamite history

Read about some of Rolamite's uses

Still not inspired?

- You could switch the rubber band for a bike chain and use gears to drive your CNC/Makerbot/etc.
- You can put a groove in the band to make it "snap" to a particular spot.
- You can change the tension on each end to create different effects.
- You can put more than two wheels - you can even put small wheels inside a big wheel separated by a band!
- You can force the two wheels further apart in case they are not "playing nice" with each other.

There are a ton of interesting ways to use this simple mechanism.  Post your ideas in the comments!