Designing a Modular Strut for Union's Tensegrity Robot

A tensegrity is a structure composed of a series of rigid members, called struts, and tensile elements, usually springs, connecting the struts. Vibrating a tensegrity at a specific frequency, using vibration motors attached to the struts, can induce interesting and potentially useful movement in the structure. Union has been using a tensegrity in computer science research for years, but it has reached its limit for a number of reasons: its motors were not especially strong and required wires to deliver power and signals when moving, inhibiting the motion. So, an improved tensegrity strut was designed, including features like on-board power, wireless Bluetooth communication, a more powerful motor, and an accelerometer for data gathering. The new strut will be used over the coming terms as a starting point for new tensegrities made by students in the mechanical engineering, computer science, and electrical and computer engineering departments.