Impress your friends, become enlightened or turn any boring party into a riot of fun. Enjoy the miracle of flight and nature through biomimicry!

A glider you carry in your pocket.

Zen glider is inspired by the flying alsomitra vine seed (zanonia) which flies from it’s pod to a new faraway home on natural air current. The seed is marked by the Zen circle symbol which represents the moment when the mind is free to let the body create. The gap in the circle suggests ideas of the absolute are inevitably incomplete.

Become enlightened, experience the miracle of flight, nature and biomimicry. Liven the party, impress your friends.

Made from paper-thin foam with a curly nose.

Once you’ve mastered Zen you can fly it with just your hands!

Local orders feel free to contact me about pickup. If you wish to make your own holders as a fun DIY craft activity you can get just the gliders.

Environment

This is a green project reusing cardboard from a public library and other sources. The foam is reuse as well. I’ve marked the carriers by tossing paint on top of a stencil with a spritzer. Different cardboard gives it character.

How Does Zen Fly?

Zen is bio-inspired by the flying alsomitra seed.

Wondering how it flies? Ask Mother Nature. It’s similar to an alsomitra seed glider.

Actually the cardboard directs air upward as you move forward. The glider surfs on this up-draft. Move the cardboard so the draft is just under the glider. Turn the cardboard to steer.

Pitch Stability

It has inherent “pitch stability” since the curly ballast balances it near the center of lift. The back of the wing has a bit of “reflex” or an upward bend. This helps the glider pitch back up when it dives and increases speed. Also the ballast is curled down so the center of gravity isn’t just ahead of the center of lift it’s below.

Roll Stability

It also has roll stability since it has a slight centerfold. That’s called dihedral. There’s a bunch of oogabooga with yaw and roll coupling that comes forward. The curly ballast also brings the center of gravity lower which contributes.

Assembly

If you purchased a kit that needs assembly please follow the instructions in the video above.

Note to Ottawa Makerfaire attendees. The creasing step is already complete. So your glider is ready for folding.