Tensegrity Explained

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 13 янв 2021
  • The first 1000 people to use this link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/stevemould01211
    Tensegrity (or tensional integrity, or floating compression) is really counterintuitive. These bizarre structures can be explained quite nicely with a 2D version (you know I love to explain things with a 2D versions!).
    I found out after uploading that the Lego model is the creation of a RUclipsr! Check out their channel: / jkbrickworksvideo
    Previous videos where I explain something by making a 2D version:
    Heron's fountain: • A 2D Heron's Fountain ...
    Pythagorean syphon: • The Pythagorean Siphon...
    The entropy video featuring the stirling engine: • A better description o...
    The video featuring the rope tower: • 5 Interesting Things
    Get your own tensegrity tables and Stirling engines from stirlingengine.co.uk
    Credits:
    All NASA footage is copyright NASA
    You can buy my books here:
    stevemould.com/books
    You can support me on Patreon here:
    / stevemould
    just like these amazing people:
    Nathan Williams
    Matthew Cocke
    Glenn Watson
    Mark Brouwer
    Joseph Rocca
    Joël van der Loo
    Doug Peterson
    Yuh Saito
    Rashid Al M
    Paul Warelis
    Will Ackerly
    Marcel K
    Twitter: / moulds
    Instagram: / stevemouldscience
    Facebook: / stevemouldscience
    Buy nerdy maths things: mathsgear.co.uk
  • НаукаНаука

Комментарии • 4,8 тыс.

  • @SteveMould
    @SteveMould  3 года назад +2674

    Edit: I found out after uploading that the Lego model is the creation of a RUclipsr! Check out their channel: ruclips.net/user/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

    • @zacharygegare7294
      @zacharygegare7294 3 года назад +82

      4 dimensional space

    • @yboul
      @yboul 3 года назад +13

      Automatic Measured Bottle Pourer

    • @lordlightspeed
      @lordlightspeed 3 года назад +29

      the rotation of a 3 dimensional object, you need 4 numbers to do it.

    • @the_hanged_clown
      @the_hanged_clown 3 года назад +4

      isn't this an example of dymaxion principles?

    • @dirtybirdsf
      @dirtybirdsf 3 года назад +4

      @@zacharygegare7294 Beat me to it by 30min

  • @ungratefulmango
    @ungratefulmango 3 года назад +32094

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

    • @GreedyOrange
      @GreedyOrange 3 года назад +996

      im 14 and this is deep

    • @ronwesilen4536
      @ronwesilen4536 3 года назад +1509

      @@GreedyOrange i am 24 and it pierces me

    • @1.4142
      @1.4142 3 года назад +405

      Figuratively and literally because 7:58

    • @GreedyOrange
      @GreedyOrange 3 года назад +210

      @@1.4142 gotta watch out then,for someone might try to 5:54 you...

    • @alvindarby7182
      @alvindarby7182 3 года назад +151

      @@ronwesilen4536 I'm 75 and my heart is busted

  • @AtanvarnoALDA
    @AtanvarnoALDA 3 года назад +6416

    A third cable makes the table stable!

    • @columbus8myhw
      @columbus8myhw 3 года назад +354

      With as many rhymes as you're able

    • @Talaxianer
      @Talaxianer 3 года назад +111

      - Sir William Shakespeare

    • @Salien1999
      @Salien1999 3 года назад +66

      --"Dr" Seuss

    • @kaenderguru894
      @kaenderguru894 3 года назад +49

      wow thats incredable

    • @SpydersByte
      @SpydersByte 3 года назад +13

      @@joshyoung1440 he's just talking about the 3 on the outside, or did you not pay attention?

  • @John_Kennedy27
    @John_Kennedy27 Год назад +200

    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.

    • @foiled6144
      @foiled6144 9 месяцев назад +8

      thank you that is a way clearer explanation

    • @itsgonnabeanaurfromme
      @itsgonnabeanaurfromme 3 месяца назад +5

      Well yeah that's a simple explanation but poorly defined in terms of mechanics and physics. That's like saying, gravity is easy. Stuff gets pulled to other stuff.

    • @John_Kennedy27
      @John_Kennedy27 3 месяца назад +6

      @@itsgonnabeanaurfromme Hardly poorly defined in terms of the mechanics and physics. Throw in the word tension a few times if you like

  • @gabbyrodems8958
    @gabbyrodems8958 2 года назад +1087

    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.

    • @davidwilhite5046
      @davidwilhite5046 2 года назад +88

      I had that same thought process when I came across this video. I wonder how beneficial it would be in the real world

    • @TheMrPandaGamer1
      @TheMrPandaGamer1 2 года назад +248

      The only problem i see in this is the fact of a building being incredibly heavy.
      It may work nice with light structure but could be a disaster on heavy structures.

    • @MIZUch.
      @MIZUch. 2 года назад +193

      @@TheMrPandaGamer1 Yeah, imagine just one support link breaking and the whole thing catastrophically fails

    • @An_Ian
      @An_Ian 2 года назад +64

      The issue is how would you build such a structure capable of supporting a skyscraper?
      Hell anything larger than a sofa would probably be a marvel if engineering to work long term

    • @PhantomSavage
      @PhantomSavage 2 года назад +30

      I think the main problem is, if its a skyscraper, how does it hold up under the tremendous weight? It seems pretty stable under normal conditions, but if an earthquake shakes the entire base of the structure to too much of an angle does the whole thing become top heavy and collapse?

  • @suburbanhavoc4997
    @suburbanhavoc4997 3 года назад +4247

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

    • @minktanker9705
      @minktanker9705 3 года назад +86

      it might be better to consider the strings as regular columns like table legs

    • @Shitpost162
      @Shitpost162 3 года назад +9

      @@minktanker9705 probability

    • @MonoChorMe
      @MonoChorMe 3 года назад +57

      In tbis case, this is in a sense, a visual paradox... rather than a _typical_ mental one. 🙃

    • @gamerp1g
      @gamerp1g 3 года назад +3

      yeeees

    • @Vekcrazah
      @Vekcrazah 3 года назад +14

      It's easier to think of it as 'this is not a support structure, but a hanging one'

  • @columbus8myhw
    @columbus8myhw 3 года назад +3817

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

    • @florian-schaefer
      @florian-schaefer 3 года назад +321

      There are even textile spokes made from special polyester that can handle very high tension and are even more lightweight than wires.

    • @joseville
      @joseville 3 года назад +169

      Wow, you're right! Never had thought about that.

    • @tracypanavia4634
      @tracypanavia4634 3 года назад +104

      Essentially the hub should hang from the spoke, not sit on it.

    • @No-pm4ss
      @No-pm4ss 3 года назад +184

      What? Seriously? My entire life, I thought the spokes pointing down carried me through compression. Figured so as a child and it never occurred to me that it might be different...

    • @Maninawig
      @Maninawig 3 года назад +93

      I am always amazed at spokes, as it seems to my childish thoughts that only 3-5 is in compression against your body, but it uses tensegrity to make the whole wheel hold your weight.

  • @carpenterhillstudios8327
    @carpenterhillstudios8327 8 месяцев назад +25

    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.

  • @rickr8469
    @rickr8469 2 года назад +31

    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.

    • @kerosan138
      @kerosan138 2 года назад +1

      Whoa! That's really cool! Good job man!

  • @eleventhprimarch5303
    @eleventhprimarch5303 3 года назад +6205

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

    • @darshandhabale143
      @darshandhabale143 3 года назад +384

      Yeah I thought of doing that too, with my tables
      But chairs thats hella awesome

    • @davidhutchison5415
      @davidhutchison5415 3 года назад +997

      @@attachedflower8008 what's ancient is using the term "special needs" as an insult. Grow up man.

    • @goodassjob7714
      @goodassjob7714 3 года назад +545

      @@attachedflower8008 "ugh, everyone who isn't as smart as ME, the LARGEST FOREHEAD on EARTH, is MENTALLY DISABLED."

    • @xmo552
      @xmo552 3 года назад +37

      I've seen chairs like that

    • @bembaure
      @bembaure 3 года назад +325

      @@attachedflower8008 just because somethings old doesn't mean everyone knows about it

  • @JKBrickworks
    @JKBrickworks 3 года назад +6208

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

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  3 года назад +1074

      Hey KJ. I'm sorry I didn't do enough research to figure out it was you and to mention you in the video. When I get home I'll put a link to your channel on the end screen and I'll mention you in the pinned comment! Thanks for a great model!

    • @vodkat07
      @vodkat07 3 года назад +16

      Well-

    • @JKBrickworks
      @JKBrickworks 3 года назад +334

      ​@@SteveMould No worries, man, it's all good. Cheers!

    • @db5094
      @db5094 3 года назад +96

      @@borkly2491 he made the comment 50 minutes ago, hes prolly still outside chill

    • @isobellabrett
      @isobellabrett 3 года назад +16

      @@borkly2491 it's changed now

  • @j2racing
    @j2racing 2 года назад +44

    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.

    • @nevillewran4083
      @nevillewran4083 2 года назад +2

      Brisbane has a clever bit of physics inside public infrastructure? I'm amazed. I've only been back once since Bjelke-petersen was kicked out. It was a backwater than. I'll have to revisit.

    • @kingjezza6567
      @kingjezza6567 2 года назад +2

      I've seen the bridge many times, as I'm also from Brisbane... and I didn't even know what tensegrity was.... just thought the bridge was creatively build..

    • @nevillewran4083
      @nevillewran4083 2 года назад +2

      @@kingjezza6567 I always thought tensegrity meant worried and sandy...

  • @caleb__mtz
    @caleb__mtz 2 года назад +212

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

    • @migBdk
      @migBdk 2 года назад +25

      That is a totally correct way of looking at the problem. It's also my preferred perspective.

    • @tejasagarkar2478
      @tejasagarkar2478 Год назад +3

      Yup. Same

    • @louisthelemur1238
      @louisthelemur1238 Год назад

      Same way I look at it.

    • @jonpong4676
      @jonpong4676 Год назад +4

      Does this perspective work if you turn the structure 90° and hold it horizontally? There's no more top/bottom part and no balancing.

    • @ZarlanTheGreen
      @ZarlanTheGreen Год назад

      How? How would the wire hold it up? Why doesn't it just flop down?

  • @monsterno.definablenever.3484
    @monsterno.definablenever.3484 3 года назад +5037

    Tensegrity sructures are proof of an old quote: "any sufficiently advanced technology appears as magic"

  • @kale.online
    @kale.online 3 года назад +1948

    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"

    • @ndbd9drn
      @ndbd9drn 3 года назад +70

      lol my parents and uncle told me science-y bedtime stories so that's actually relatable.

    • @ManjotSingh-sf2ri
      @ManjotSingh-sf2ri 3 года назад +12

      Underrated comment

    • @ambulocetusnatans
      @ambulocetusnatans 3 года назад +143

      My mum used to say "the force of gravity acting on two objects is inversely proportional to the distance between them." Ah, the memories of youth.

    • @MSheepdog
      @MSheepdog 3 года назад +38

      My mum always warned me about colinear points.

    • @scottlux2904
      @scottlux2904 3 года назад +26

      In my family it was "Pi R Squared. No Pi are round. Cornbread are squared."

  • @joshclough4789
    @joshclough4789 2 года назад +9

    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!

  • @studiosandi
    @studiosandi 9 месяцев назад +1

    That is incredibly interesting! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video❤

  • @bencrossley647
    @bencrossley647 3 года назад +1378

    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

    • @warrene3365
      @warrene3365 3 года назад +65

      I was just wondering how big can you make these.

    • @alikawtharani3814
      @alikawtharani3814 3 года назад +40

      Yo, can you show us a pic?

    • @shannonp4037
      @shannonp4037 3 года назад +94

      @@warrene3365 As big as you'd like. As noted in the video, there are bridges made similar.

    • @marcelwo4jedynki
      @marcelwo4jedynki 3 года назад +15

      @@alikawtharani3814 he made a video about it on his channel in nearby future

    • @keent
      @keent 3 года назад +52

      @@marcelwo4jedynki you sir is a time traveller

  • @DanielJohnGaming
    @DanielJohnGaming 3 года назад +321

    7:38 never in my entire life did I ever think we, as a species, would create a robotic tumbleweed.

    • @rebeccabeiter9458
      @rebeccabeiter9458 3 года назад +15

      CP Grey must be in shock right now😂

    • @DanteTimberwolf
      @DanteTimberwolf 3 года назад +17

      *texas cyberpunk 2077*

    • @abadgurl2010
      @abadgurl2010 3 года назад +2

      Well, things in nature have purposes for their features. I'm surprised that our species didn't think to make a robotic tumbleweed sooner.

    • @jasonleejames_official
      @jasonleejames_official 3 года назад +4

      @@abadgurl2010 what if tumbleweed is just insects engineering a vehicle? They could be rolling around in there and we'd never know.

    • @joeschmoe511
      @joeschmoe511 3 года назад

      True. Along with mechanized cigarettes, mechanized joints and a.i. drones.

  • @CarpetBombing
    @CarpetBombing Год назад +25

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

  • @Leoninmiami
    @Leoninmiami 8 месяцев назад

    This is insanely awesome. BRILLIANT! The object is essentially balanced from "the top" instead of "the bottom".

  • @WWLinkMasterX
    @WWLinkMasterX 3 года назад +2307

    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.

    • @SmallSpoonBrigade
      @SmallSpoonBrigade 3 года назад +54

      Yes, and if you put a weight at the point where the cable connects the top and bottom shifting the center of mass to below the point where the cable attaches to the base, you could probably dispense with the additional cables completely. Of course, the thing would likely pivot around and point in different directions, but it would work with a single connecting cable.

    • @dans4323
      @dans4323 3 года назад +49

      Exactly, so I was thinking. Could you make a stool with only the load-bearing cable and do the balancing part with your feet while sitting on it?
      This would allow the stool to collapse when not in use for easier storage.

    • @wobblysauce
      @wobblysauce 3 года назад +5

      And there are a number of those seats available.

    • @Horvath_Gabor
      @Horvath_Gabor 3 года назад +63

      @@dans4323 So a piece of wood hanging on a wire or chain, without anything under it? Where I came from, we call these revolutionary new sitting apparatuses "swings".

    • @josephmerrill2686
      @josephmerrill2686 3 года назад +7

      @@SmallSpoonBrigade You could make a prop with a hollow, light weight top and heavy bottom and hide the swing mass and really trip people out! Referring to the "top" piece hanging from the base.

  • @SilverDreamweaver
    @SilverDreamweaver 3 года назад +3910

    This man's house would make the perfect therapy office.

    • @rwin3606
      @rwin3606 3 года назад +40

      Sure it would

    • @ineedabetterpfp2485
      @ineedabetterpfp2485 2 года назад +37

      It sure would

    • @Deaf0
      @Deaf0 2 года назад +27

      Would it sure

    • @wateredbottle2529
      @wateredbottle2529 2 года назад +27

      It would sure

    • @reygenne1
      @reygenne1 2 года назад +13

      Surely it would due to the ambient that emits from the background.

  • @Girlsbecrazy
    @Girlsbecrazy 2 года назад

    That was really cool to watch and learn about, cheers Steve. It's getting late in Aus currently, but I feel a bit of a binge of your content is coming up tomorrow when I wake up.

  • @gamenae6174
    @gamenae6174 2 года назад +1

    I love the 2d models, you're a genius for figuring that out!

  • @erickleefeld4883
    @erickleefeld4883 2 года назад +2842

    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.

    • @jeffpeepee3684
      @jeffpeepee3684 2 года назад +57

      Still it looks like the middle wire wouldn’t be able to that!

    • @kriskater
      @kriskater 2 года назад +31

      Best explanation 👍🏽

    • @stanlee2200
      @stanlee2200 2 года назад +6

      Well duh

    • @zinebbekhtaoui5643
      @zinebbekhtaoui5643 2 года назад +2

      i don't think so cause then it wouldn't hold its shape when it's no longer in a vertical position

    • @Rowgue51
      @Rowgue51 2 года назад +40

      @@zinebbekhtaoui5643
      The cables are providing tension in opposition to each other. It has nothing to do with orientation or gravity.

  • @12jojimbo
    @12jojimbo 3 года назад +649

    Man I bet you could make a really cool musical instrument out of that tensegrity platform. Hit it like a drum and tune the wires to harmonize on a note.

    • @fuseteam
      @fuseteam 3 года назад +45

      do it do it do it

    • @lukeonuke
      @lukeonuke 3 года назад +14

      @@thesure1 HARDER!

    • @FMHikari
      @FMHikari 3 года назад +71

      Instructions unclear, harmonized with a parallel universe

    • @naveen5126
      @naveen5126 3 года назад +9

      You are smort

    • @maxk4324
      @maxk4324 3 года назад +25

      Ha! Thats a load of.... Hmmm... One sec [scribbling and calculator noises]... you mad fucking genius.

  • @wojtekpolska1013
    @wojtekpolska1013 2 года назад +1

    out of all the surprising stuff you showcased in other videos, this is one which i immiedetely just understood, probably something just "clicked" before and i understood it just from the thumbnail

  • @Gakusangi
    @Gakusangi 2 года назад +2

    I saw the thumbnail and thought a sec and realized how this all works. Very creative!

  • @ilovefunnyamv2nd
    @ilovefunnyamv2nd 3 года назад +415

    3D Model: WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?
    2D Model: Oh I get it
    3D Model again: Its Magic
    2D Model again: The rubber bands really make this easier to understand because of the visual stretching

    • @justinlavine9209
      @justinlavine9209 2 года назад +1

      None of these models are in 2D. There are at least 3 spatial dimensions under consideration in each example.
      The direction of these applied forces has nothing to do with the imaginary force of gravity (which is a lie) and everything to do with the very real weight & mass of the objects used in the examples.
      To the extent that the "tensegrity" in these examples are immobile, this requires the summation of these forces within the system to be zero. i.e. in static equilibrium.

    • @ilovefunnyamv2nd
      @ilovefunnyamv2nd 2 года назад +13

      @@justinlavine9209 yes, even a sheet of paper , the lead on the paper, or a strand of hair has thickness, and as such is not limited to the x-y planes.
      I'm sure the you've always learned your physics with extraplanstory forces included. for the rest of us, we started with simpler concepts like a mass on a frictionless surface.

    • @justinlavine9209
      @justinlavine9209 2 года назад

      @@ilovefunnyamv2nd I actually abandoned my college education in engineering & mathematics after seeing the atrocities Americans were committing for their scientific theories.
      I have a family member who was involved in the Challenger disaster and got to watch the shuttle burn up on launch as a school child. The failure that is NASA was then rewarded for committing this National tragedy by being given a bigger budget to hire Tom Hanks and shoot the movie 'Apollo13'. At least SETI was more or less shut down...at least until Google(TM) & Elon Musk decided to jump on the pseudo-science bandwagon.

    • @raiyiar
      @raiyiar 2 года назад +7

      @@justinlavine9209 yea, i kinda see the point of you being away from real people being a win-win - nobody poops at the parties, and you get to don the tinfoil in style online

    • @justinlavine9209
      @justinlavine9209 2 года назад

      @@raiyiar Thank you! With a real job, I actually have free time and enough money to afford my own place.

  • @jessa1895
    @jessa1895 3 года назад +619

    Me: showing a 2D version won’t help with anything
    Me not even 20 seconds later: wow that makes sense now

    • @bethanylowe8773
      @bethanylowe8773 3 года назад +9

      Exactly what happened

    • @seriouscat2231
      @seriouscat2231 3 года назад +5

      "Showing a 2D version did not help me with anything. But less than 20 seconds later I was like wow, that makes sense now." Where has this retarded "me: whoosh / me: splat" style come from?

    • @cirejc2235
      @cirejc2235 3 года назад +15

      @@seriouscat2231 boomer

    • @seriouscat2231
      @seriouscat2231 3 года назад +2

      @@cirejc2235, what? Some guy with that name invented it?

    • @sixstringedthing
      @sixstringedthing 3 года назад +10

      @@seriouscat2231 you know what a meme is right? Same principle. It's a linguistic meme, one of many.

  • @ionageman
    @ionageman 2 года назад +7

    First time I saw a tensegrity table , it took me forever to puzzle it .. now I see the forces in action at a glance .. beautiful structure .. it’s being held in place from falling over , similar to somebody helping you up by leaning back to balance the forces .

  • @duggeeo4147
    @duggeeo4147 3 года назад +410

    this feels like one of those troll face infinite energy jokes

    • @TehGamerPro
      @TehGamerPro 3 года назад +46

      Step 1. Cover yourself in oil.

    • @kirbomatic1573
      @kirbomatic1573 3 года назад +49

      1. Stress wires
      2. Make a table with the top connected to the bottom with said wires
      3. Floating table
      U mad scientists?

    • @hybmnzz2658
      @hybmnzz2658 3 года назад +2

      Problem?

    • @smug303
      @smug303 3 года назад +1

      @BB Jerry actually, it's step 3

    • @junkyyard2273
      @junkyyard2273 3 года назад

      @@smug303
      Was that in the procedures?

  • @lazerwing3022
    @lazerwing3022 3 года назад +581

    ah yes: "the string wants to collapse but constant stress is keeping it up"

    • @fpv568
      @fpv568 3 года назад +66

      relatable

    • @ian59
      @ian59 3 года назад +13

      The set up and the spike. You guys should play volleyball together.

    • @user-ko4zp1wm2i
      @user-ko4zp1wm2i 3 года назад +7

      Maybe i am Not human but tensegrity

    • @anujbangad3973
      @anujbangad3973 3 года назад +3

      *Underrated*

    • @YataTheFifteenth
      @YataTheFifteenth 3 года назад +1

      Mood

  • @carolbuzelim
    @carolbuzelim 2 года назад +1

    Explain as much as you want, thats magic

  • @valles6903
    @valles6903 11 месяцев назад

    Only 4 minutes of your video, and I imideatly understood the concept. Thank you!

  • @mikeymegamega
    @mikeymegamega 3 года назад +514

    I'm desperate to know if it can hold a cup of tea!

    • @navyntune8158
      @navyntune8158 3 года назад +16

      Don't put it on the wrong side

    • @thatoneguy9582
      @thatoneguy9582 3 года назад +2

      I wouldn’t trust it but probably

    • @vijayakrishna07
      @vijayakrishna07 3 года назад

      Kurilpa bridge !

    • @kriss3d
      @kriss3d 3 года назад +26

      The wire at the center decides that. If you have a even small steel wire it most certainly could hold a gallon easily as well. The outer tension cables decided how much sideways motion it allows.

    • @KevinTan
      @KevinTan 3 года назад +12

      if you're putting a cup of liquid, make sure its super hot first.
      just kidding, don't do that

  • @rjd9c899
    @rjd9c899 3 года назад +117

    "it wants to collapse but constant stress wont allow it" -some weird cool model

    • @vhroom3436
      @vhroom3436 3 года назад +13

      Thats a bit too relatable

    • @ApequH
      @ApequH 3 года назад

      @@vhroom3436 Totally

  • @Aatell764
    @Aatell764 2 года назад +1

    This was very well done and educational thanks man.

  • @ivyleague3224
    @ivyleague3224 2 года назад +1

    I have never seen anything like this, very cool. Thank you for sharing

  • @jggerhardsson3559
    @jggerhardsson3559 3 года назад +372

    Talks about Tensegrity.
    Sponsorship: no strings attached.

  • @TheMento98
    @TheMento98 3 года назад +548

    7:20 Why didn't my science teachers ever show us this kind of shit when they wanted us to make vessels to protect a raw egg in an egg drop?

    • @rogerroberts1310
      @rogerroberts1310 3 года назад +16

      You were there to LEARN

    • @RCAvhstape
      @RCAvhstape 3 года назад +79

      It was a test to see which of us could figure it out. If you did, the aliens took you away to train you as a Gunstar pilot #LastStarfighter

    • @dakewllicher3522
      @dakewllicher3522 3 года назад +24

      @@rogerroberts1310 sure, learn? With 0 examples? That aint possible

    • @rogerroberts1310
      @rogerroberts1310 3 года назад +22

      @@dakewllicher3522 In other words you expect to be fed answers to problems vs applying your understanding of what you need to do to obtain the needed results? Follow that reasoning and you will fail at some point simply because you have to continue to develop new understanding and new processes. If you don't you live in the past and what you know no longer has value.

    • @dakewllicher3522
      @dakewllicher3522 3 года назад +23

      @@rogerroberts1310 funny, your telling me you can learn how anything works, without an example to actually know what your supposed to do? I said examples not straight up answers 2 diffrent things idiot.

  • @superspak
    @superspak Год назад +1

    I love engineering, thanks for the great video as usual. As a BSME I always say Free Body Diagram as a rule in statics, but this raised a lot of other great points I was unaware about those toys. 😁

  • @marquisebright1608
    @marquisebright1608 2 года назад

    1st time watching your videos... thanks would be an understatement, im honored to get that wisdom knowledge and understanding all in one video.

  • @hiface1123
    @hiface1123 2 года назад +1804

    When will the devs fix this glitch.

    • @subboytris8946
      @subboytris8946 2 года назад +51

      Probably never

    • @muhammadalvarezafannani2922
      @muhammadalvarezafannani2922 2 года назад +187

      The dev : it's a feature now

    • @venomasmark154
      @venomasmark154 2 года назад +72

      I actually heard we're on the verge of getting no more updates, guess the devs have simply gotten bored...then again I heard that from a leaker so it may be a lie

    • @subboytris8946
      @subboytris8946 2 года назад +5

      @@venomasmark154 yeah

    • @subboytris8946
      @subboytris8946 2 года назад +43

      @@venomasmark154 there are also bugs about bouncy balls, when you throw it in a straight line you expect it to bounce in a straight line but sometimes it bounces on the left or right

  • @guarddog318
    @guarddog318 3 года назад +743

    Another name for this principle is "dynamic tension".
    It's something I was taught in college, when I was studying to become a mechanical designer.
    In the model from the thumbnail, the shorter, central chain bears the weight of the upper piece, while the 2 longer chains act to keep the balance, and keep the upper piece from falling backwards.
    It's an interesting exercise in learning to see lines of force, and how they interact with each other.

    • @RicoLee27
      @RicoLee27 2 года назад +8

      That is the simple explanation that made me finnaly understand it.

    • @marcokik677
      @marcokik677 2 года назад

      This reminds me of metal bending

    • @slashgamere
      @slashgamere 2 года назад

      Thank you for this information

    • @MeatBunFul
      @MeatBunFul 2 года назад

      Very easy to understand this explanation. Thanks

    • @erichansen3180
      @erichansen3180 2 года назад

      Interesting that you learned it in engineering/design, I learned the concept in anatomy, our bodies are built this way.

  • @Somethirdthing
    @Somethirdthing 2 года назад

    I love this guy, he always looks like he's just getting over a cold. Much love, thanks!

  • @Linguae_Music
    @Linguae_Music 2 года назад +44

    You could create ringing percussive instruments with incredibly long sustain using something like this. and you could have them all connected by a series of tensors, as a single unit, which would allow them to interact with each other harmonically like an even more harmonically integrated harp... but percussive...
    Think something like singing bowls, but all integrated into each other through the harmonic series and the natural resonances of their structures travelling along the tensors, while still retaining their own voice in the system.
    :O like this would literally be incredible.
    But it would be a BITCH to tune(the tensors)and to design.
    EDIT: digitally controlled tensor tuning mechanism. with selectable presets :D

    • @malegria9641
      @malegria9641 Месяц назад

      I’m a percussionist and you have given me some very expensive ideas

  • @drboze6781
    @drboze6781 3 года назад +75

    7:38 - Finally, a synthetic tumbleweed.

    • @thenasadude6878
      @thenasadude6878 3 года назад +3

      @@FirstNameLastName-rh6zc i don't think so, vegetals in general are not. Their components work both in tensipn and compression (even the trunk works in tension when it's windy)
      But I can imagine a cyberpunk future where tumbleweed is robotic

    • @420mralucard
      @420mralucard 3 года назад

      @@FirstNameLastName-rh6zc
      No because the pieces are touching each other with both tension and compression on them.

    • @godricktheminecrafted3113
      @godricktheminecrafted3113 3 года назад

      This is going to be used in Wild West plays in a robot post apocalyptic utopia

    • @tumblevveed3586
      @tumblevveed3586 3 года назад

      Just your average Guy called Christopher I think they are already preparing for it. You should see the mountains of tumbleweeds blowing around right now here in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

  • @mayathomas8934
    @mayathomas8934 3 года назад +138

    The way I saw tensegrity explained (that’s an entirely different explanation from Steve’s) that really made it “click” for me is that the top structure is hanging from the bottom one, and the wires around the outside stabilize it. Once I learned that things just snapped into place for me and I feel like I can understand it.

    • @crackedemerald4930
      @crackedemerald4930 3 года назад +6

      Yea it's kinda cheeky when you realise that.

    • @Nurr0
      @Nurr0 3 года назад +5

      That... Actually makes so much sense. Thanks!

    • @Anankin12
      @Anankin12 3 года назад +10

      Wasn't it obvious? It's the first thing I thought when I saw the thumbnail.
      Asking because different people notice different things

    • @oofusmcdoofus
      @oofusmcdoofus 3 года назад +5

      @@Anankin12 it was obvious for me
      but things are only obvious once you realize them

    • @luvlasagna
      @luvlasagna 3 года назад

      Ooohh holy shit it finally clicked for me. Thank you!

  • @9o261
    @9o261 Год назад +7

    The central string and curved arms stop the top and bottom plates from moving towards each other, and the outer 3 strings prevent them from moving away from each other.

  • @jaydekaytv
    @jaydekaytv 8 месяцев назад

    Great vid - thanks for sharing!

  • @protorhinocerator142
    @protorhinocerator142 3 года назад +459

    This is one of those videos I almost clicked on for a couple weeks and then finally watched.
    Glad I did. Not an optical illusion. The cables actually hold the structure together.
    Cool.

  • @carrotylemons1190
    @carrotylemons1190 3 года назад +247

    I always thought of it as the center cable holds the upper plate up, while the other three stabilise it.

    • @unnaturallynatural8885
      @unnaturallynatural8885 3 года назад +16

      technically, you're correct!

    • @evilpimp4371
      @evilpimp4371 3 года назад +13

      Isn't that how it works? Center cable holds it up, the rest stabilize it and keep it from falling over.

    • @wackyanimations3326
      @wackyanimations3326 3 года назад +2

      Thats what i thought..

    • @Kevin-jb2pv
      @Kevin-jb2pv 3 года назад

      Bucky's hanging pucky is a bit fucky wucky

    • @deskflop3365
      @deskflop3365 3 года назад

      Me too!

  • @PP-on3ej
    @PP-on3ej 4 месяца назад

    Great explanation! Thank you!

  • @abcde_fz
    @abcde_fz 2 года назад +2

    I like this video. I haven't watched more than a minute of it yet, but I already know how fun this guy is, so I expect this one will be as much fun as the last one, I think that one was on the different types of toilets. I got a kick out of that one!
    Anyway, this is why I question the 'completeness' or 'integrity' of my education:
    I look at that miniature table, and I understand it completely. It doesn't mystify me any more than any Escher drawing I've ever seen. It's actually incredibly simple:
    The wires are stretched by the aluminum that's compressed by the wires that are stretched by the aluminum that's compressed.
    Now, I haven't watched much of the video yet, but I KNOW that this guy is going to give a 'proper' description of the materials and forces involved, what they mean conceptually, and how they integrate into a complete, unique instance.
    An abstraction of the concepts he describes.
    A physical object.
    The thing we see sitting before us.
    I can do all that in my head easily. Almost instantly. (I was gifted with a sharp mind, I suppose I inherited it from my parents, so I don't take credit for it, I am thankful for it). But having a sharp mind doesn't mean you can easily describe or impart to others what's on your mind. I have ZERO clue how to explain what I SEE in my 'mind's eye' to ANYone else.
    So I envy, or admire/appreciate it when I can see someone like this fellow who **IS** capable of sharing what's inside his mind with others, to the benefit of their understanding of the world.
    That's why I question that business of my education. I wish I knew if I'd be able to do what he's doing if my education was somehow 'better' or more 'complete'.

  • @ChongFrisbee
    @ChongFrisbee 3 года назад +93

    4:31 That is a very old saying indeed

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  3 года назад +35

      Wisdom of the ancients

    • @benjaminmiller3620
      @benjaminmiller3620 3 года назад +37

      "... non-co-linear points..." to be pedantic.

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  3 года назад +26

      @@benjaminmiller3620 that's the kind of pedantry I like

    • @Kokurorokuko
      @Kokurorokuko 3 года назад +2

      @@benjaminmiller3620 points can't be collinear. Lines and vectors can... To be pedantic

    • @1.4142
      @1.4142 3 года назад +6

      @@Kokurorokuko Three points on the same line can be.

  • @BR0JASON
    @BR0JASON 3 года назад +78

    The part about tensegrity in nature reminds me of something from "Structures: Or, Why Things Don't Fall Down" by J.E. Gordon. He said trees are under compression on the inside and tension on the outside. I thought that was neat.

    • @NemesisRider
      @NemesisRider 3 года назад +2

      Gordon writes some good books! His “New Science of Materials” book makes a quite tricky field (to me at least) feel relatively accessible too.

    • @BR0JASON
      @BR0JASON 3 года назад +1

      I’m hoping to read that one soon.

  • @normanacree1635
    @normanacree1635 7 месяцев назад

    The structure at 9:00 is the most intriguing to me. Only uses one supporting cable. I understand how it works (I think) but it still blows my mind.

  • @Etcher
    @Etcher 11 месяцев назад

    I've never paused a video to consider if three different rubber bands were in compression or in tension before. And I loved it!!

  • @ubermonkee
    @ubermonkee 2 года назад +252

    I've seen quite a few examples of this recently but no-one ever mentions wire spoked wheels, literally the original example. For years as a child I thought they were made of a special material that could hold my weight until a teacher said it is the ones at the top stopping you fall, not the ones on the bottom holding you up.

    • @wolf1066
      @wolf1066 Год назад +38

      And the ones at the sides are stopping the thin rim from just collapsing into a buckled oblong when you put stress on it. They force the rim to remain circular and they centre it on the hub so has sideways rigidity. It's a brilliant piece of engineering, really.

    • @factChecker01
      @factChecker01 11 месяцев назад +5

      Good point!

  • @jamesclark4
    @jamesclark4 4 месяца назад +2

    Now i want a full sized table like this

  • @dianeterry4261
    @dianeterry4261 Год назад

    That was absolutely helpful thank you. I was blowing my mind until I saw this.

  • @theliar4558
    @theliar4558 3 года назад +136

    "That's my secret, cap. I'm always stressed."

  • @garyhilson7220
    @garyhilson7220 8 месяцев назад

    I just love these videos. Teaching novice how fun engineering is without Statics, Dynamics, Calculus, Diff Eq, Strengths of Materials, Materials Science, years of learning and sleepless nights for 4-5 years of study. Good times!!!!

  • @NightEye87
    @NightEye87 3 года назад +45

    I'm a structural engineer. This is my work. I still watched because it's Steve.

    • @armadillito
      @armadillito 3 года назад +5

      Sometimes it helps to hear a good explanation of your expert subject written for the ley person. And it's Steve.

  • @bushtrash2286
    @bushtrash2286 Год назад

    Became very obvious as soon as you showed the 2D version, thank you, great video.

  • @hansnorleaf
    @hansnorleaf 2 года назад +9

    I immediately imagined a scifi city built atop a scaled up version of this, but it would seem a bit risky as the whole structure will collapse if the central cable snaps. I supose there could be more than one center cable for redundancy and I would prably fit it with six cables along the circumference.

    • @ItsAsparageese
      @ItsAsparageese 7 месяцев назад

      This is a super cool concept! Makes sense for a sort of settlement on a planet surface with frequent earthquakes or something

  • @israelRaizer
    @israelRaizer 3 года назад +270

    Me: *knows how tensegrity works*
    Steve: *makes a video explaining tensegrity*
    Also me: *watches the video anyway because it's Steve*

    • @lokikuro4236
      @lokikuro4236 3 года назад +5

      Also me : see's a "ball" with tensegrity applied to and has my mind blown.

    • @steampunknord
      @steampunknord 3 года назад +3

      Same, but I still learnt the name of the tensegrity bridge in the city I live in. That and that it's tensegrity structure. I thought it just had a fancy design.

    • @adrianderroni4043
      @adrianderroni4043 3 года назад +1

      You are in tensegrity with this Channel!

    • @SegularRpork
      @SegularRpork 3 года назад +1

      I watched because I know Steve goes into detail, I can understand it betterz instead of a basic visual and physical understanding.

    • @flaviusclaudius7510
      @flaviusclaudius7510 3 года назад +1

      Tensegrity seems really obvious in how it works, but it's reassuring to watch and make sure I haven't missed something

  • @darktechno8321
    @darktechno8321 3 года назад +335

    It really took me a while to realise the middle string is pulling the top part up. It is so confusing xD

    • @CamoShirt
      @CamoShirt 2 года назад +22

      its not pulling it up its holding the weight and the other 3 wires are basically guy-wires to keep it from falling over like a tentpole with 3 guy-wires

    • @borasumer
      @borasumer 2 года назад +15

      Obviously you need more time then a while. The middle string not pulling anything up. It hold the weight of the top disk and the arm attached to it. The rest 3 wires are just for the horizontal integrity.

    • @telectronix1368
      @telectronix1368 2 года назад +11

      holding rather than pulling

    • @MollyHJohns
      @MollyHJohns 2 года назад +2

      This makes me think of the self standing balancing bird toy, somehow.

    • @despinoladasilva
      @despinoladasilva 2 года назад

      Have you understood it yet? Lol... still not until today? Lol...

  • @juliancourtland-smith8917
    @juliancourtland-smith8917 Месяц назад +1

    Never heard of Tensegrity before, even though I went to Art School which included architecture! Great explanation Steve and a brilliant video. :-)

  • @Vikanuck
    @Vikanuck 2 года назад +1

    At 8:59 or so, if he looks at anyone and just says “You really like me” with that exact look on his face - like it or not, you _WILL_ end up liking this man very, very much.

  • @dizquier91
    @dizquier91 3 года назад +65

    We own that exact baby toy. I love playing with that thing. Oh, and our Daughter does too I guess.

  • @insanejughead
    @insanejughead 3 года назад +32

    5:10 Come on, come on, get down with the stiffness!
    Madness has now come over me.

  • @thegoner
    @thegoner 2 года назад +2

    I love these too much. When i forgot the name for them i was so sad but now i know again!!!

  • @BB-zi5wi
    @BB-zi5wi 2 года назад

    Every time yt suggests one of your vids i press play. Hats off 2 u sir! 🥰

  • @weeeeems
    @weeeeems 3 года назад +193

    Funny that this same lego model from JK Extras was recommended to me from youtube about an hour ago. RUclips must have been using your private video in it's algo deciding what I might want to see...

    • @harry.tallbelt6707
      @harry.tallbelt6707 3 года назад +18

      I got it recommended a few days ago, and after seeing this video popping up in my sub box, my brain went on a bit of a rollercoaster, thinking about how RUclips algorithm plants ideas in our brains. Like, on the first glance it's terrifying. But then, the algorithm doesn't try to show you some stuff it wants (well, probably), it just shows people videos that similar people enjoyed watching. But then you take this idea from the context of a bunch of geeky guys and apply it to some bunch of fasci guys, and it gets scary again. But maybe the algorithm does correct for that? But then it /does/ show people what /it/ wants sometimes.
      I'm mostly typing it because it was curious to think about, I'm not a weird conspiracy theory person. Then again, those people are in a different RUclips bubble and wouldn't find this video that easily - oh, shi..

    • @gracefool
      @gracefool 3 года назад +15

      @@harry.tallbelt6707 yes, the way social media works absolutely does encourage people to become gradually more extreme over time. The phenomenon is called a "filter bubble" - it's a bias that happens naturally, but social media makes it much worse, unless you make an effort to sometimes watch / include in your newsfeed material or people you disagree with.

    • @ABCD-rn6tk
      @ABCD-rn6tk 3 года назад

      Lol same here

  • @jonathan.gasser
    @jonathan.gasser 3 года назад +19

    "By changing the length of the cables in tension, you can actually move the structure around robotically"
    *Structure rolls down the hill*

  • @bernym4047
    @bernym4047 Год назад +1

    I made the rod & string tensegrity model many years ago. Afterwards, I discovered that many biological cells use the same principal to enable them to expand or contract their outer membrane to accommodate more or less liquid inside them. Fascinating video Thank you.

  • @MechaEmperor7000
    @MechaEmperor7000 8 месяцев назад

    Your comment about how the body's musculature has a similar principle is actually one of the first basic lessons we learn....in Art. This is because to make a lifedrawing life-like, it must have it's shapes and forms be recognizably "real", which in most cases is mechanically functional. Our human brains are wired specifically to find these correct mechanics so the first step for any artist learning life drawing is to understand that the flesh is not a "wrapper" for the bone any more than the bone is "your core/pit/seed". The bones move by the muscles contracting, and the muscles can only contract when it's properly latched onto the bone. The two working together is how both of them achieve movement.
    The most important bit is to understand your arm isn't actually moving on a ball joint at the shoulder, but rather translating (as in, sliding) around in such a way that our brains perceive it as rotating while it dynamically "adjusts the tensions" of your individual muscle tendons.

  • @WillPeterson
    @WillPeterson 3 года назад +223

    Have you guys noticed how strange the URL of this video is? "0onncd0_0-o"
    It even has an emoji "surprised" face in it.

  • @benammiswift
    @benammiswift 3 года назад +38

    Why do I feel the need to make a coffee table using this now

    • @autohmae
      @autohmae 3 года назад +1

      I was thinking dining table

    • @jasonatkins6111
      @jasonatkins6111 3 года назад +1

      @@autohmae Neither of them will ever get made.

    • @autohmae
      @autohmae 3 года назад +2

      @@jasonatkins6111 Lots of people already did.

  • @thomasleemullins4372
    @thomasleemullins4372 2 года назад

    I think that was both neat and informative.

  • @therocinante3443
    @therocinante3443 2 года назад

    This really is the absolute best of youtube.

  • @Pinupopinion
    @Pinupopinion 3 года назад +15

    If they do not call that robot a "rolly pulley" I am going to have a rage induced stroke.

  • @camerontyler1386
    @camerontyler1386 3 года назад +38

    Finally! A random youtube recommendation that I learned something from. Thank you for the video it was quite informative and answers the questions i'd wondered about how these structures/designs worked.

  • @MsCookiemonster0
    @MsCookiemonster0 2 года назад

    Never heard of tensegrity until this video. Fascinating!

  • @johnmitchelljr
    @johnmitchelljr 10 месяцев назад

    Thank you. Well done.

  • @_sqwid
    @_sqwid 3 года назад +57

    Stays up through constant stress. I’ve seen this one before

  • @HBA_Detailing
    @HBA_Detailing 3 года назад +155

    Website: Stirling engines
    *Sells table*

    • @nobodynemoq
      @nobodynemoq 3 года назад

      Steve makes a video
      TABLES SOLD OUT

  • @kathyjones1576
    @kathyjones1576 Год назад

    Whoa! That is one of the coolest things I've seen.

  • @oliverdiamond6594
    @oliverdiamond6594 4 месяца назад +1

    i made one of these with lego and string, it worked really well, suprisingly easy to make too.

  • @TheRunners06
    @TheRunners06 3 года назад +23

    I had never seen tensegrity structures before and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. That being said, although I understand these structures on an intellectual level, just looking at them makes me instinctually angry because it feels like someone found a loophole in physics.

    • @justinlavine9209
      @justinlavine9209 2 года назад

      Lol. I'm just jealous of the people getting paid to make interesting looking bric-a-brac while I can barely get a job.

  • @insanlutfi
    @insanlutfi 3 года назад +17

    it's 3am here in my country and youtube recommended something THAT I REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT.
    amazin

  • @GamingPhilosophe
    @GamingPhilosophe 2 года назад +23

    So just how the 2-D tensegrity structure was unstable in 3 dimensions, would that make a 3-D tensegrity structure unstable in 4 spacial dimensions?
    What would a 4-D tensegrity structure even look like?

  • @omikrondraconis5708
    @omikrondraconis5708 9 месяцев назад

    I finally understood it, thanks!

  • @at6727
    @at6727 3 года назад +6

    your hard work and simplicity has resulted in the exponential growth of your channel, Steve!

  • @thechoripankiller
    @thechoripankiller 3 года назад +89

    People still can't grasp this, imagine when you tell them that bike's spokes are also in tension and not compression

    • @iamfuckingyourwaifuandther2743
      @iamfuckingyourwaifuandther2743 3 года назад +5

      Rip brain

    • @thechoripankiller
      @thechoripankiller 3 года назад +10

      ​@@iamfuckingyourwaifuandther2743 _" When a bicycle wheel is built, the spokes all start out loose, then they are gradually made tighter and tighter. When complete, every spoke pulls the hub towards the rim, but all the spokes are in balance, so the hub and the rim stay put (if you screw this process up, the rim usually folds over to one side, possibly ruining it). This process is occasionally referred to as pre-tensioning, because you are putting tension in the spokes, even before they wheel has to support any load._
      _It's hard to visualize (I suggest looking at a bicycle wheel), but every spoke is pulling on the hub simoultaneously, in all directions. The tension in every spoke is (very close to) identical. What's interesting is what happens to the wheel when a load is applied (someone gets on the bike). If you measure the tension in all the spokes, only those spokes in the bottom of the wheel change tension significantly - the tension decreases. In other words, the bottom spokes become more loose, all the other spokes remain unchanged. "_

    • @Nathan-kw2hs
      @Nathan-kw2hs 3 года назад +3

      Imagine spokes being in compression, they would all buckle instantly

    • @schvanger
      @schvanger 3 года назад

      false and stupid. the rim of the bicycle is compressed takes the tensile loading of the spokes. Only tension is not possible. Tension and compression must balance out. if they aren't, the system needs to expand the boundaries that you're placing on it.

    • @Greasyspleen
      @Greasyspleen 3 года назад

      @@schvanger I believe there's no compression. Maybe Steve could build a bicycle wheel out of string to settle the argument.

  • @pasoco
    @pasoco Год назад

    thanks STEEEEEVE! keep doing videos!

  • @anp3745
    @anp3745 23 дня назад

    As soon as you show the 2D model it becomes instantly intuitive as to how it works.