GeoBender and ShaShiBo are enhancements of the "Yoshimoto Cube No.3" by Naoki Yoshimoto.
The structure of the Yoshimoto Cube No.3 is a 12-part Kaleidcycle that folds into a cube shape as its initial state. The elements are face-to-center pyramids cut in half perpendicular along a face diagonal. The resulting elements a scalene tetrahedrons with three different faces. The Kaleidocycle is hinged at adjacent edges, allowing many different shapes from tightly packed to loose structures.
There were many different implementations of the original Yoshimoto Cube No.3 in the 1970s and 1980s, but with moderate success.
The significant enhancement of GeoBender and ShaShiBo is the use of 36 magnets. This does not only keep many of the shapes static, it also allows connecting mutiple units into larger structures.
Physically and mechanically, GeoBender and ShaShiBo are identical. Both use 36 magnets, but the magnetic layout is different. This difference only affects the connections between two or more units, the shapes that are possible with a single unit are not affected.
ShaShiBo use a simplified magnetic layout. This means that most connections between units are easier to achive, because the magnetic orientation of the individual shapes does not matter. On the other hand, certain connections between GeoBender are impossible with ShaShiBo, because of magnetic repel.
The different magnetic layout of GeoBender leads to many shapes that are magnetically chiral. In simplified terms: Many shapes have a magnetic mirror counterpart. If you work with GeoBender combos, you need to know whether the same or the opposite magnetic type will connect. In addition to knowing the transitions between shapes, you also need to know how to turn a shape into its magnetic mirror counterpart.
The edge length of the cube shape is 60mm, the AF measurement of the sphere is about 85mm. In geometrical terms, the sphere shape is the inversion of the cube shape, the resulting sold is a Squareroot-2 Rhombic Dodecahedron. The AF measurement is equal to the diameter of the inscribed sphere, equal to a face diagonal of the cube shape.
The dissection creates 12 scalene tetrahedrons with three different types of faces. One face is equal to half of a cube face, another face is the cut of a face-to-center pyramid, the other two faces are lateral faces of a face-to-center pyramd.
The designs of the 48 triangular facelets of GeoBender and ShaShiBo are usually split in four zones:
The "classic" designs were the same across all faces of one zone, and symmetric and continuous across face boundaries when meeting faces from the same zone.
| Brand | Design name | Cube design | Intermediate 1 | Intermediate 2 | Sphere design |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeoBender | Nautilus | Nautilus | Fire | Forest | Water |
| GeoBender | Primary-I | Solid red | Solid yellow | Solid green | Solid blue |
| GeoBender | Primary-II | Solid blue | Solid red | Solid green | Solid yellow |
| GeoBender | Abstract-I | Checkered | Checkered | Lines | Lines |
| GeoBender | Abstract-II | Rhombic | White with black | Black with white | Black/White |
| GeoBender | Surfer | Emerald | Spume | Fractal | Surfer |
| GeoBender | Bees | Fern | Flowers | Honey | Bees |
| GeoBender | World | Globe | Waterfall | Lava | Map |
| GeoBender | Beam | Orange or green | Beams orange | Beams green | Orange and/or green | Brand | Design name | Cube design | Intermediate 1 | Intermediate 2 | Sphere design |
| ShaShiBo | Black & White | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Blue Planet | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Spaced Out | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Optical Illusion | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Elements | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Wings | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Confetti | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Chaos | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Mystic Ocean | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Moon | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Earth | ||||
| ShaShiBo | Undersea |