30 Strut Tensegrity

This tutorial teaches how to build a 30 strut tensegrity using paper straws and rubber bands.
Materials needed:
Tape
Exacto knife
30 identical rubber bands
30 paper straws
Paper straws can be bought online or at arts and crafts stores.

[@kennethcarper3451]

Thank you, Angela! Before retiring, I taught structures to architects for 40 years. Every year the students were required to build a 30-strut tensegrity sphere. We always used the instructions found in Hugh Kenner’s wonderful book, “Bucky: A Guided Tour of Buckminster Fuller. The approach there is to construct the five intersecting great circles (pentagons) using “sticks” and “danglers.” This results in a chaotic pile of sticks, that if accomplished perfectly, suddenly explodes off the floor into the finished sphere-a dramatic demonstration of “synergy.” However, the process almost always led to frustration, as errors were made that would nearly always require disassembly and starting over, multiple times. Now, as a Grandpa, I am teaching geodesic geometry to a 10-year-old. I can tell you that your approach, looking at the surface geometric patterns, is far superior! You have made a brilliant video here, Angela. A+++

[@AngelaYu]

Thank you for this, Ken! Hope your grandson had fun with making this tensegrity!

[@69josephbc]

Thank you for your clear and precise instruction; from my experience of the available videos on the 30-strut tensegrity , your video is the most helpful. Your visual presentation is excellent, and your description of the geometries that formed, within the development, are the keys to successful construction. My choice of materials were 3/4 inch dowels, elastic string/cord, and small brads, slipped into the slots, to prevent slippage. Thank you again.

[@AngelaYu]

Thanks for your comment Joseph, it means a lot. I'm so glad the video helped you out!

[@jimhood1202]

Thanks for that. I made a large tensegrity dome some years ago in Bali as part of a course in bamboo construction and wanted to make another so your video is a great reminder as to the process.

[@BritneyNgaw]

I am only familiar with the 29 strut tensegrity so this is very helpful

[@AngelaYu]

ok u gotta teach me how to strut that

[@fredpearce7644]

Thanks for the clear video and instructions. I used bamboo cane instead of straws to make a larger model.

[@AngelaYu]

+Fred Pearce Very cool! Happy to help!

[@normanacree1635]

You commented to @69josephbc that you used 3/4" dowels but elsewhere you mentioned straws. Which was it?

[@paulsholar9356]

The great thing about this structure is that it encloses a large, almost spherical space without internal supports. Therefore, I would like to scale it up to enclose a space comparable to the size of a room in a residential home. To increase the scale of this object, what is the relation between the lengths of the rods and the radius of the imaginary sphere that can circumscribe this object?

[@AngelaYu]

Hi Paul, that seems like a cool project to pursue. I'm not sure about such precise measurements between length of rods and radius of the sphere. I think what's probably more important is to figure out the elasticity of the bands for such a large scale tensegrity. It might have to be a process of trial and error.

[@paulsholar9356]

I built your model last night. I started over one time because I needed stronger tape. The information for me from the model was to see the ratio of strut length to sphere diameter. I can use that information to plan a larger project next time. Your model uses struts that connect only at their ends and at their midpoints. This produces larger triangles than other equivalent models that I've seen. I found that your model produces a 2:1 ratio of sphere diameter to strut length. Perhaps a different srategy (such as using a more/less flexible material for the tension members and/varying tension member lengths) can produce a larger ratio while still using only 30 struts. I like the relative sparseness of this design compared with your more complex model in the other video. If I scale this design to room size, its openness makes possible a range of uses for the gaps between struts. I've been wanting to do this kind of model for a while, and your clear instructions made it easy to accomplish. Next I want to make models of replicas of the Needle Tower (Kenneth Snelson) tensegrity to use as minimalist supports for the corners of a model sailcloth canopy to lend shade to my new 30 strut model. Best regards ...

[@bluespectralmonkey]

well you could look up things like that , it's an icosidodecahedron

[@BritneyNgaw]

I am only familiar with the 29 strut tensegrity so this is very helpful

[@denissestereo3526]

Hello! Could you tell me the measure of the paper straws and the elastic bands? Thanks!

[@AngelaYu]

Hello! I no longer have the straws and rubber bands that I used, but if you just purchase them from a store, any should do! Just make sure the rubber bands aren’t too tight.

[@denissestereo3526]

@@AngelaYu thanks for your answer!

[@tugrulyuce3898]

Why the video is Just Black? There is no video.

[@antoniabarroso804]

If you put tape on it, then it's not tensegrity

[@69josephbc]

May I add that tape is needed only during the construction of the Tensegrity form? As each model is put together, there are imbalanced forces created, which are natural. However, upon completion, the structure develops the full balance inherent within the Tensegrity form, making the tape unnecessary. Peace.

[@normanacree1635]

Don't know why she didn't tell you to remove the tape at the end. It was likely only there to keep the straws from slipping during construction so as to have a geometrically even structure. Removing them at the end would satisfy your concern.