The frame shows one section of about 100 2 foot long geared belts like you'd use in a car. They're about an inch wide and have various frames printed on even segments. There are ten cogs at the back of these that rotate the belts putting different pictures into view.

So each belt might have 50 or so frames so you'd get 50 pictures that would change as the belts rotate.

To be clear, you only see about two inches of the front curve of the belt, the rest are not visible.

They might be rotated evenly or chaotically spun like the wheels of a slot machine revealing the segments of the next picture one frame at a time.

Could have a strobe light to make it animate more as well.
-- doctorremulac3, Oct 24 2024

Mechanism with the front taken off. https://www.dropbox...as&st=elrvzqpk&dl=0
The front would have square view holes that only allowed you to see the nearest frames. [doctorremulac3, Oct 24 2024]

Sort of like this but with each image representing a pixel. https://www.designb...u-hiura-08-08-2022/
[doctorremulac3, Oct 24 2024]

The mutoscope neut referred to. https://www.youtube...wZZKyhk?app=desktop
Evidently used to be big for dirty movies back in the day. [doctorremulac3, Oct 25 2024]

Yea, bunch of retro rotary phone dialer iPhone apps. https://apps.apple....l-plate/id311342031
[doctorremulac3, Oct 25 2024]

Some are absolutely beautiful. https://pixelverse....phone/rotarydialer/
[doctorremulac3, Oct 25 2024]

There's a word for tech that is totally bleeding edge but emulates the controls, display, or other items of obsolete or archaic tech. Like an iPhone display that uses a rotary dial as the input and display, with the accompanying sound effect. (I can't remember the word. If anybody knows it please post. I can't find it again.)

This is the opposite: some archaic tech that is supposed to replicate the experience of current efforts, like a video screen. Bad attempt. Only 50 pictures? The only redeeming feature is the clickety-clack of the belts and images moving around. If you made this thing huge enough with millions of RGB panels, you could make any image if you stood back far enough.

I'd much prefer a 4K screen that followed your Luddite, 50-picture model, but tiled any picture to those parameters. I haven't looked but I believe it is out there in the wild.
-- minoradjustments, Oct 24 2024


There are many existing "mechanical moving image" devices around, such as the mutoscope; along with similar but more "optical" systems like the zoetrope, & other "pre-projector" methods of making & viewing a moving image.
It's a fascinating rabbit-hole to fall in to. Go forth!
-- neutrinos_shadow, Oct 24 2024


Reminds me of Dr Corry's Panorama or Diorama.
-- pocmloc, Oct 24 2024


//I can't remember the word//

I think the word you're looking for is "skeuomorph".
-- pertinax, Oct 24 2024


Isn't skeuomorph more related to materials and construction techniques? Like moulded imitation rivets and screw heard in a one piece plastic moulding? I have only come across it in archaeological contexts though, so I don't know if tech controls is part of the same concept or slightly different.
-- pocmloc, Oct 25 2024


Retropunk

I want a mobile phone with a manual dial on it.
-- Loris, Oct 25 2024


They HAVE to have an app that does that on iPhones. If not I'd to bun that idea.

In fact you should patent it, I think people would buy it as a novelty!
-- doctorremulac3, Oct 25 2024


[poc] Do you know the other word that would refer more accurately to a rotary dial interface on an iPhone? I just like skeuomorph as a word, but I'm not sure that was what was said originally. This is very particular shit.
-- minoradjustments, Oct 25 2024



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