April 2022
·
33 Reads
·
4 Citations
Owing to their shape morphing capabilities and biomimetic nature, tensegrity structures offer a lightweight, adaptable, alternative to classical truss structures. Tensegrities comprise a collection of axially loaded compressive members (bars or struts) stabilized by a network of tension members (strings or cables), resulting in flexible structures which can be pre-stressed and actively controlled to change their shape. In this research, we study the morphing capabilities of the cylindrical triplex tensegrity by actively changing the length of the structure’s internal cable network. A geometric approach is used to characterize the full range of statically equilibrated shapes of a cylindrical triplex tensegrity structure. Then, trajectories are designed from a subset of equilibrated shapes and implemented in open-loop on an experimental triplex structure.