Is the Octagon The Future?

Last year, during a visit to Mr. Pans in China, I had the chance to play a handpan with a new note geometry. And it stuck with me.

A few months ago, I received an invitation to return — this time not just to teach, but to help shape something from the ground up.

What you’re about to see is the first step in developing an octagon-shaped handpan shell.

And this isn’t just a design experiment.

It’s part of a larger initiative to create a legally distinct handpan form in response to ongoing legal tensions in Europe surrounding existing shell designs.

Why an Octagon?

The goal was simple:

Create a shape that is structurally sound, musically viable, and legally differentiated.

The handpan world has long operated in a gray area between tradition, innovation, and intellectual property disputes. This octagon concept explores what happens when we intentionally step outside the familiar circular shell from a place of necessary evolution.

Rapid Prototyping: Not Perfection — Information

For the first prototype, we used hydroforming.

Hydroforming allows for rapid iteration. It’s flexible, efficient, and gave us real-world data quickly. This stage wasn’t about building the final production shell — it was about learning.

We needed answers:

• How does an octagonal rim distribute tension?

• How do angles affect stiffness?

• What happens to resonance across flatter edge planes?

• Can it tune cleanly?

Computer modeling can tell you a lot.

But a hammer? A hammer tells you everything.

The early versions had sharper angles, which created tension issues along the rim. By the third iteration, those angles were softened, improving stability and structural integrity.

Does It Tune?

Short answer: yes.

I rough tuned and fine tuned the first prototype on-site. The octagon shape did not introduce any unusual tuning complications. Structurally, it behaved in a stable and predictable way.

Viability is no longer theoretical.

It works. And that’s what matters.

What Comes Next?

This hydroformed prototype is step one.

The long-term plan is for Mr. Pans to transition to a deep-drawn shell for production. The hydroforming stage simply proves the concept and refines the geometry before investing in more permanent tooling.

The intention is bigger than one instrument.

Regardless of how the European lawsuit resolves, the octagon shell offers a potential legal alternative for makers — particularly in regions where current designs are under scrutiny.

There’s also discussion of making these shells available to other builders.

That matters.

Because the health of the handpan world depends on innovation, access, and forward movement — and unfortunately, legal realities are now part of that equation.

Why I Was There

I was invited to help with rapid prototyping using my hydroforming approach. The goal was to move the research forward quickly and intelligently.

I care deeply about the future of this instrument.

And sometimes that means stepping into uncomfortable spaces — the greater legal arena, structural experiments, and difficult conversations — in order to build something stronger for everyone.

This octagon is not the end product but potentially the beginning of a larger conversation.

And I’m excited to see where it leads.

If you’d like to see the R&D process in action, watch the full video below.

-CFoulke