Exploration of the Deployability and Structural Efficiency of a Simpli ed Tensegrity Bridge

Abstract

In order to contribute to the improvement of rescue efforts in the event of natural disasters, the objective of this thesis is to design, build, and structurally analyze a small-scale prototype of a deployable bridge structure which uses principles of a structural form known as tensegrity. This simplified deployable tensegrity module aims to use less actuators and a simpler deployment process than previous deployable tensegrity designs, and serve as a basis for possible future deployable tensegrity bridge designs of larger scale.