Tensegrity deployment
Three struts that never touch, held in shape by one network of cables. Fold the unit and deploy it again, then drag a node to see how the rest of the structure responds.
Deployed · node 1 selected · paused
Drag a numbered node with a mouse, or select a node and use the arrow buttons.
When the diagram has keyboard focus, arrow keys move the selected node; Home resets the shape.
The model does not establish structural adequacy.
Method and limits
A form illustration, not a design check.
This is a position-based constraint solver: struts are kept close to their target lengths, while cables resist extension but may go slack. Moving a node pins a distant node and relaxes the other joints. Damping and a weak pull towards the reference shape keep the interaction controlled. It starts paused; nothing moves until you use a control.
The deployment slider prescribes a family of prism geometries with constant strut length and changing cable target lengths. It illustrates folding through controlled cable-length changes; it does not solve a real actuator, deployment mechanism or stable equilibrium path.
Hairlines mark tension-only cables; heavy lines mark struts in their intended compression role. Dashed cables are visibly slack. Line weights are member roles, not computed force magnitudes. There are no physical units, loads, material stiffnesses, prestress, buckling checks, joint checks or safety factors in this model.