HoMedics Drift Magnetic Moving Sand Art Table - Sandscape Kinetic Sand Art, Smart App Control, Decorative Sand Table

Product Information

Within the first day of use, I had tapped play on close to a dozen designs. It’s addicting to watch the little sphere roll around and make intricate patterns come to life. HoMedics positions the device as one for wellness. Watching it is supposed to promote mindfulness and a calming feeling. I can see how Drift could do that for some people. For me, it was much less about a calming presence and more about a neat piece of decoration. It’s modern and simple enough to blend in, but with its light, it can be as attention-grabbing as you want it to be. Drift is a very interesting product. I got the larger 21” version, and it’s bigger than I expected, I’ve placed it on top of my wife’s baby grand piano, where due to it’s 6” height, it might be a little too high for those that are altitude challenged to see. I might need to find a shorter table so that it’s easier to observe. The whole point of drift is to provide relaxation. It was very easy to set up, pour the 2 bags of fine white sand into the round “sand field” which has a bit of texture to it. The unit comes with a card which has “teeth” in it to smooth the sand out. You don’t need to be very accurate, as once you run it for a few hours, the sand will find its own level. You then drop the ball bearing onto the sand and put the glass cover on top on (I suggested to my wife we leave the cover off and see what the cat does, she did not think that it was funny as this is pretty expensive to let the cat at it, for whatever purpose). There is a single power adapter that gets connected to it and there are two buttons on it that may never get used once you install the app. An on/off button and a switch which manually causes the color to change/turn off. It took roughly 5 minutes to set up the table. I added the sand, used the rake to level it, dropped the ball into the center, and powered it up. It immediately began a "cleaning" cycle, meaning it produced what appeared to be a coil, the purpose of which is apparently to further spread and level the sand. Then it began creating designs. The HoMedics Drift Sandscape Kinetic Sand Table is a hypnotizing way to bring more mindfulness into your everyday life. With dozens of intricate patterns to choose from and lighting that seems to pulsate and breathe, it’s easy to find yourself staring contentedly at the Drift, letting your mind wander as it sorts through your thoughts. HoMedics, of course, takes this concept up a notch (or a hundred notches). It transforms what used to be a kid’s toy into a luxury product using high-end materials and app control. The Drift isn’t the first kinetic sand table on the market, but it’s widely available as of its 2022 launch and requires no technical knowledge to set up. (The demand for kinetic sand tables has actually been so high—and so unmet—in recent years that many enthusiasts have shared their DIY tutorials online. However, with woodworking, wiring, and coding components, they’re far from one-day projects.) How to control the HoMedics Drift sand table

I put Drift next to a record player, and it paired nicely with this old way of listening to music. At first, I set Drift's light to pulse and change colors every 60 seconds. The novelty of that lighting combination wore off fast, but I did find that changing the lighting color and hue does have a real effect on how the patterns look and the feelings they produce. After some time, I found myself gravitating toward a warm light hue for most uses.It’s a great build that focuses on the smaller details like noise that can make a big difference to the final experience. We’ve seen similar projects before, too. Video after the break.

For the linear slide mechanism, I found the parts separately on OpenBuilds, but I would suggest using the V-Slot linear actuator kit, since it has all of the parts necessary as well as assembly instructions. Many of us have marveled at art installations that feature marbles quietly and ceaselessly tracing out beautiful patterns in sand. [DIY Machines] is here to show us that it’s entirely possible to build one yourself at home! All four variations of this table operate the same way. This review features the cream-coloured 16″ Drift, which fits comfortably on a small side table and is built solidly enough not to tip over when bumped. HoMedics Sand Table without sand and glass cover What are the benefits of a sand table?I would have liked a little adjustable height stand to come with it making it even more usable as a piece of furniture.