A Cambridge University engineering student has set a new world record for the longest duration spinning a fidget spinner on one finger. James Goh, 23, achieved a time of 30 minutes and 34.54 seconds, beating the previous record by nearly five minutes.
Goh, a student at Queens' College, designed and built his own fidget spinner to break the Guinness World Record. The attempt took place in Hong Kong on December 16, 2025, where he lives when not studying in Cambridge. He said his finger ached after holding the same position for so long.
His fascination with gyroscopes began after watching Christopher Nolan's film Inception. As part of his engineering degree, he studied the physics of gyroscopes, which are used in smartphones and spacecraft navigation. He applied knowledge of aerodynamics and tribology to optimise his spinner.
The spinner's core is made of lightweight hollow aluminium, with tungsten concentrated around the edges to store kinetic energy. This design creates a high moment of inertia, helping it spin longer. Goh used academic papers and differential equations to refine his formula, though he notes there is no perfect solution.
“People do often ask me why I’m so interested in spinning tops and fidget spinners,” he said. “There’s definitely something hypnotic about them and their mechanical efficiency is pretty remarkable.” His record is about 20 times longer than a standard shop-bought spinner.
