Anand D
Author
A maker from the youtube channel James' Programming has recently built a linked portal illusion using Arduino, 3D‑printed parts, and a custom aluminum frame. The setup uses two identical “portal” frames facing each other: when an object is thrown into one, it appears to instantly emerge from the other, creating a convincing real‑time portal illusion without any video tricks.
At the heart of the system is a flywheel launcher that fires a replica object out of the second portal as soon as the first detects an incoming throw. To keep the illusion seamless, the builder added time‑of‑flight (ToF) sensors to track approaching objects and pre‑trigger the launch, compensating for the mechanical delay of the flywheel. Addressable LED rings mimic the game’s portal glow, while a servo‑driven alignment mechanism recenters and repositions objects so the cycle can repeat automatically.
The project took around nine months to complete and involved extensive debugging of sensors, launch timing, and mechanical alignment. Early attempts with 16 ToF sensors proved too slow, so the final design relied on just two for reliable detection. While the launcher became quite consistent, the detection and auto‑alignment systems remained finicky, working only about one in twenty times. Even with these limitations, the build stands as an impressive hardware‑heavy tribute to Portal, blending embedded control, sensing, and clever mechanical design.
