Omnidirectional Curve and the principle of tensegrity

Abstract

In this work, we report part of an investigation about the design of nature, whose the complete content is part of the Omnidirectional Curve project. In this project, we seek to identify guiding principles of natural design, through a methodology initiated by the observation of natural structures followed by theoretical foundations of a multidisciplinary nature and experiments aimed at proving structural qualities related to the principle studied. Tensegrity is one of these principles, which we will discuss in more detail in this article. It refers to the balance of opposing forces that act within any natural system and/or structure, being responsible for giving both the works of nature and human constructions the following attributes: resistance, economy and lightness. Such qualities were verified in our experiments, proving how useful such a bio-inspired approach can be for the ideal of sustainable design.