Tensegrity

Summary

A tensegrity is a structure of rigid struts and cables in which the struts are held in place by the tension of the cables. In the mathematical model, a tensegrity framework is a framework with three kinds of members. Cables may not lengthen, struts may not shorten, and bars keep a fixed length. Its rigidity is studied with stresses that must be nonnegative on cables and nonpositive on struts. Tensegrities are used in architecture, in deployable structures and as models of the cytoskeleton of cells.