IcoTens

This projects demonstrates a shape-changing amorphous robot based on principles of tensegrity. Tensegrities are structures made out of struts and cables arranged such that the structure retains a 3D shape without the struts touching each other. Tensegrities have excellent strength to weight ratio and have been used frequently in architectural design. Others have used tensegrity principles to explain structural properties of biological cells, yet their potential for robotics applications remains largely unexplored. Their advantages over many other legged robots are their resilience to deformation, their ability to change shape and their high strength-to-weight ratio. The robot developed in this project, the IcoTens, comprises six rods, 24 strings and 12 actuators, and is the most complex tensegrity robot built to date. It can change its morphology and is the first of its kind to be able to roll, collapse and crouch. Rolling locomotion makes it significantly faster than all other tensegrity robots. Because of its distributed actuation, the IcoTens can tolerate the loss of multiple actuators while maintaining locomotion. Tensegrity machines such as this open the door to applications where shape changing, resilience, redundancy and reliability are key.

the IcoTens

Close-up of the module

Exploded view of the module

Rolling

Crouching