V1 Vixiv Invixiball — Titanium Spherical Lattice

Probably not for kids, if we’re being honest.

Meet the V1 Vixiv Invixiball—a hollow titanium lattice ball engineered to bounce, roll, and mesmerize. Designed by Aaron Chow at Vixiv in Ohio, it’s a daily carry object born from structural optimization tools and antique geometry. The lattice pattern is adapted from Abraham Sharp’s Geometry Improv’d (1717), Plate II, and fabricated with direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) on titanium powder using a 400w 100 micron laser beam. The result is an unbelievably light, strong, and absurdly satisfying object.

Despite its Grade 5 titanium body, the Invixiball weighs about the same as a single U.S. quarter. That mass, paired with its elastic shell geometry, gives it a springy, responsive bounce that makes it feel alive in your hand—and dangerous to set down. It's not quite AirPod-level losable, but it’s close. If you’re not holding it, someone else will be, or it’ll be gone.

This isn’t sculpture masquerading as play. It’s made to be used: flicked, dropped, bounced, or carried in a pocket every day. The 30 mm diameter was deliberately selected for daily handling and launchability, offering just enough grip to keep it controllable, and just enough mass to give it a satisfying return. It’s engineered fun, delivered in elemental form.

Seriously though: only bounce it on robust surfaces like concrete or asphalt. It’ll bounce on hardwood—but it’ll also leave tiny, perfect rhombic dents that never come out. This thing is made of aerospace-grade Ti-6Al-4V. Don’t let its size fool you.

PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASE:

1. These are smaller than they look in videos. At 30-35mm in diameter, they're smaller than a 40mm ping pong ball and larger than a 25mm large gumball. Their small stature is one of the main reasons they're easy to lose. We're tried making larger versions but they're more awkward in a pocket and more prone to thermal deformation for printing. 

2. Your box will feel comically empty when it arrives. They're only moderately heavier than a ping pong ball and lighter than the gumball I mentioned in note #1. I can assure you, the ball is there.

3. Don't bounce them on anything you don't want scratched or dented. Did we already mention this? This applies to floors, walls, skulls, teeth, and friends. They won't bounce very well on soft things because the softer thing does the bouncing. Ouch!

4. It will hurt if you get hit. They come up, back, and down nearly as quick as you throw them...and they're made of metal that has been formed into a fine grate pattern that could likely double as a lemon zester with enough pressure. I once threw one as hard as I could at our concrete studio floor. It bounced off the floor, ricocheted off our 20' ceiling, and landed on the top of my head. See #3 above. Please be careful.

5. I'm not exactly sure how fast of an impact they can withstand, and would advise against testing this in practice. We know they can handle a compressive force of 700lbs before yield or fracture. Empirically testing the impact speed limit would be terrifying given #3 and #4 above. We're working through some nonlinear FEA to see if we can get some answers and we'll post if/when we know more. 

6. Surface imperfections can result in slightly different return angles. While the lattice has a largely isotropic bending stiffness, very small variations will result in small bounce angle deviations. Geometry variation is a natural consequence of the laser sintering process used to create the titanium ball, so be ready for the ball to occasionally have a bit of a mind of its own from time to time.