Tensegrity Explained

Edit: I found out after uploading that the Lego model is the creation of a YouTuber! Check out their channel: youtube.com/c/JKBrickworksVideo Is there anything you can't explain with a 2D model? The sponsor is Skillshare: The first 1000 people to use this link will get a free trial of Premium Membership: skl.sh/stevemould01211

Much like myself, it is being held up entirely by stress.

This makes perfect sense to my brain, but it still confuses my eyes.

Tensegrity structures are magical for many because we are so "matter" driven. matter like rods and beams can be seen and appear solid. Forces cables etc are not so obvious but always present. the anatomy reference was spot on. Your analysis was incisive and consice. never have see the 2d analysis until now. Thank you for your work on this.

This concept would be so cool to apply to earthquake technology in buildings. Super stable along the y-axis, but there’s motion in the x and z axises. Tho I wounded if the concept would break down at a larger scale.

A third cable makes the table stable!

Ha! Pretty cool to see my LEGO version of this model pop up in this video. Cheers!

Steve, you inspired me to create my own tensegrity model in my hobby machine shop. I used guitar strings and guitar string tuners to adjust tension on the three corners. The outside strings were .036" guitar strings and the center was .046". The heavier center string makes a higher pitch than the thinner outside strings when you "pluck" them. Opposite of what they would do on a guitar. That supports the assumption that each outside string carries 1/3 of the load of the center (ignoring the weight of the top half of the structure). My model turned out great and gets many comments. Keep the videos coming , l always look forward to your new releases.

I think this gets needlessly overcomplicated which is why people get confused despite how simple it is. The middle one holds it up and supports the weight. The outer ones stop it from tipping in either direction. This creates a stable equilibrium.

A cool example of tensegrity: bicycle wheels. The spokes are all in tension, meaning they can all be lightweight wires.

I want to make enough to replace all of my chairs with giant versions of these and watch my guests freak out.

I was absolutely not expecting to see my hometown in this video! Brisbane's Kurilpa bridge is pretty unique. I had no idea it was built with tensegrity.

WoW, very complex stuff made simple by your 2D explanation. Thank you.

Oh yes that old saying everyone remembers their mother whispering into their ear at night: "two points fixes a line, 3 points fixes a plane"

My dad has been making these for years. He's got a massive one as a table in the garden that confuses the hell out of anyone that visits XD

It doesn’t float. It hangs.

Hi Steve, really good video. I've just graduated from university for Mechanical & Materials Engineering. Though not at all relevant to my personal work, I found your video really enjoyable & stimulating, you have such a calm and relaxed way of explaining things, you're a natural teacher. Thanks!

One sentence version: The central rope carries all the weight, all the other ropes just keep it in balance by preventing it from falling to any one side.

It’s kind of like a magic trick: All your attention is going to those longer outer wires/strings/chains/etc. But the actual work of holding up the structure is done by that one in the middle, which holds the upper piece so it can hang from the base. The outer wires then keep it in balance.

I've always just seen it as the middle wire actually holding the top part, and the exterior wires balancing the piece