It is a spring-like device that can perform particular movements such as going down stairs.
He slinky It is an element similar to a spring, which has the possibility of making continuous movements after having applied an initial force. With a cylindrical and soft shape, it is usually used by children to go down stairs on its own, or to move continuously along inclined planes.
Although it seems that it is a Simple toy, it has an origin in engineering. The inventor of this item was the American naval engineer Richard T. James, who manufactured it in 1943 and it first appeared in the Gimbels department store in Philadelphia in 1945.
Slinky Dog
What is the history of the Slinky?
Originally, Richard James was working for develop springs that could support and stabilize sensitive instruments aboard ships in rough seas. He accidentally hit one of those springs and “took a step” and got back to his feet. After observing it, he concluded that with the right tension he could “make it walk.”
Since then, he began experimenting with different types of steel wires and finally found that spring that walked. Although he and his wife doubted the success of the toy, they were convinced when they saw how the neighborhood children took a special interest in it. In 1945 the toy was already a success and the 400 units created were sold in just 90 minutes.
The Disney movie that honored the toy
In 1995 a film appeared that is now part of the Disney classics, Toy Story. Slinky Dog is one of the main characters, he is a plastic dog with a spring-loaded body, and he is very useful for the characters when they need to carefully get down from high places or perform similar activities.
Beyond a toy: other functions that the Slinky adopted
Despite having had great success as a toy, the Slinky was not limited to being that and nothing more. Later it was used for other purposes and served teach and understand issues from other academic and work areas. University and high school professors used them to simulate the properties of waves. In addition, United States troops used mobile radio antennas.
NASA used them for zero-gravity physics experiments on the space shuttle. Additionally, they were used to create sound effects similar to those of laser guns. Lastly, it was used on posts to scare away squirrels from bird feeders.
Source: Ambito
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