Track Elements
The most captivating parts of a Rolling Ball Sculpture would have to be the track elements. The track elements are various devices and mechanisms that interact with the ball. Track elements can be complex machined devices with levers and switches, or simple inversions such as loop-the-loops or corkscrews. These devices come in two categories: the pure rail elements, and the machined elements.
Pure Rail Elements
One of the more popular track elements is the inversion. Inversions can come in the form of loop-the-loops, barrel rolls, corkscrews, or step-downs. Basically, any time the ball is riding on track above itself, the ball is in an inversion.
Machined Elements
Splitting a ball track into multiple paths is the best method for having a large number of track elements. In the Mechanical Engineering Demonstrator, 12 different ball paths were required to convey the desired message. To supply 12 different ball paths with three lifting devices, track switching gates were required.