High-Tech Fidget Spinner: 3-Axis IMU Turntable

Welcome!

This is an open-source project for the construction of a 3-DoF IMU turntable, called the "High-Tech Fidget Spinner". It is a low-cost alternative to commercial solutions which can cost in the 5 to 6-figure USD range, to be used for the validation and characterisation of IMU sensors.

The repository contains supporting files to the conference paper titled "High-Tech Fidget Spinner: Open-Source 3-Axis Turntable" from UbiComp Companion ’25, October 12–16, 2025, Espoo, Finland: https://doi.org/10.1145/3714394.3756256

The top-level strucutre of the repository is as follows:

.
├── build/              # 3D-printing files, instructions and BoM to construct the hardware    
├── docs/               # Project development and conference paper documentation 
├── src/                # Code for the webapp and controller firmware    
├── testing/            # Files from testing the High-Tech Fidget Spinner 
├── tools/              # Files to select approrpriate stepper motors 
├── LICENSE.md         
└── README.md           

Each directory has its own README file that contains further details about it.

Getting started

0. Familiarise yoursel with the directories in this repository and their README files and the overview paper at https://doi.org/10.1145/3714394.3756256

1. Construct the hardware as described in /build/

2. Upload the firmware as described in /src/

3. Launch the webapp as described in /src/

4. You're ready to use the project! Usage instructions can be found at /docs/how-to-use.md

5. Modify as you need for your applications :)

Next steps

The High-Tech Fidget Spinner is a WORK IN PROGRESS as of August 3, 2025. The community should follows this repository for the latest iterations.

• A FORK of this repository should be created to modify the project for your bespoke applicaiton.

• An ISSUE should be created to suggest changes / bug fixes for the entire community.

Everyone is welcome to use, collaborate and iterate on this project!