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Description

The simplest tensegrity model is known as the Simplex, and here I've made one using only 21 Lego pieces.

Here's a video showing it in action, along with a general discussion of structural engineering and why I'm not a fan of the 'Lego tensegrity' trend that happened a while ago: youtu.be/LZoZ4VbPWA4

I love tensegrity models. Their geometry fascinates me and they have really cool structural properties: specifically, the compression members do not touch, and the resulting structure is incredibly stiff and lightweight. If any one of the chains break then the entire structure will fall apart. The structure keeps its shape in any orientation, so it is not reliant on gravity to keep its form, and even if a heavy load (like a book) is placed on top of it then the forces will redistribute to support the load without dramatic change in shape.

Description

The simplest tensegrity model is known as the Simplex, and here I've made one using only 21 Lego pieces.

Here's a video showing it in action, along with a general discussion of structural engineering and why I'm not a fan of the 'Lego tensegrity' trend that happened a while ago: youtu.be/LZoZ4VbPWA4

I love tensegrity models. Their geometry fascinates me and they have really cool structural properties: specifically, the compression members do not touch, and the resulting structure is incredibly stiff and lightweight. If any one of the chains break then the entire structure will fall apart. The structure keeps its shape in any orientation, so it is not reliant on gravity to keep its form, and even if a heavy load (like a book) is placed on top of it then the forces will redistribute to support the load without dramatic change in shape.