The illusion, as described in Massey's patent, involves a large torus—or doughnut-shaped—apparatus. Placed on edge to facethe audience, the assistant's head extends from one side of the ring and feet on the opposite, meaning the assistant's torso is visible traversing across the center of the ring. The torus is then rotated, which seems to rotate along with the person's head and feet —but while the torso remains stationary in its original horizontal position. This seems to suggest that the assistant has been "dissociated" into three separate portions.