Ah that's a good point. I was thinking I'd need it to receive IR data so that I can kinda reverse engineer the codes the included remote sends.
The tubes idea is good, thanks. I'll consider that if I do end up using the multiple Auraglow bulbs that I need to isolate.
At the moment the idea is to power the kaleidoscope rotation with a RC car motor connected to a bearing wheel to make the increase/decrease in speed smooth. Still unsure if that will be suitable power/torque-wise or if it will make too much noise. I'm intending it to be at least 12" in diameter so that could be an issue.