How to Assemble your Tensegrity Pelvis
Tensegrity Models allow us to feel for ourselves the dynamic forces of push and pull within our bodies. Putting together this model can help us to experience firsthand how our bones don't actually touch one another, but are suspended and stabilized by a web of connective tissue.
This method of assembly will have you make your connective web first, and then you'll add your struts for stability. If you'd like a kit of your own, you can purchase them here.
In this kit
- 9 struts - 4 long and 5 short
- 18 end caps - 6 have T-shaped sockets along their edges and 12 have circle-shaped sockets in their center
- 2 half webs. The webs have 2 kinds of anchors, T-shaped and O-shaped to fit the corresponding sockets on the end caps
Remove the end caps from the struts if they're still on there from packing. Keep your caps sorted by color. If your kit only has one color, keep them sorted by socket type.
Add the caps to your first web
Lay out your first web with the pointed ends of the anchors facing up and away from the surface you're working on. Snap 2 pink O-caps over the anchors on the furthest right and left sides. When they're in place, the big hole of the cap should face up towards you.
Snap 4 teal O-caps onto the 4 anchors toward the center of the web.
Snap 6 purple T-caps onto the remaining 'T' anchors of the web. Leave your web oriented as it is and set it to the side.
Add the caps to your second web
Lay out your second web with the pointed sides of the anchors facing you just as you did the first time. Snap the pink O-caps onto the furthest right and left anchors.
Snap the teal O-caps onto the remaining 4 anchors.
Connect the two webs
Bring your first web back and then flip your second web on top of it like it's a spiderweb sandwich. The strings of the web should all line up and the big holes of the O-caps should now be facing toward one another.
Attach the two webs to each other by tilting the T-caps toward you. Insert the anchors on top by pressing their pointed end into their nearest cap. The new web should be symmetrical from front to back and side to side without twists or tangles. All the caps should point inward toward the center of the web.
Double check to make sure the anchors are secure and we can move onto the struts.
Insert the struts
Lay out the combined web as flat as it will allow. Take two long struts and insert them top-to-bottom into the outermost T-caps like the pillars of an 'H'.
Add one short strut top to bottom between the middle T-caps, giving you 3 struts that go up and down. Each strut should have matching colors on both ends.
The 4 remaining short struts will puff out the structure from front to back. Insert the strut between the top left caps facing one another, then do the same for the top right caps, the bottom right caps, and the bottom left caps.
For your side-to-side struts, insert a long strut horizontally through the 2 side-most caps nearest you like a bar crossing an 'H'. Flip the assembly over and repeat on the other side, sandwiching your up-and-down struts between your side-to-side struts.
Your tensegrity pelvis model is now complete!
Ready to explore more?
This tensegrity pelvis model is just the beginning of understanding how tension and compression work together in human movement. If you're curious about bio-tensegrity and its applications in movement science, here are some ways to dive deeper:
📧 Subscribe to our newsletter for insights into bio-tensegrity and movement
🎥 Watch more tensegrity in motion on our youtube channel
📱 Follow us on Instagram @minimokinetics for the latest tensegrity experiments in action
🛠️ Get your own tensegrity pelvis model here and feel the movement come to life!