De Jong, Gerald

Read here about a leading tensegrity researcher and software developer.

de Jong, Gerald

Gerald de Jong has been active building tensegrities for years. He created Fluidium, a virtual world with virtual creatures that evolved a la Karl Sims. The artificial life was based on tensegrity structures, also known as elastic interval geometry.

de Jong's "elastic interval geometry" (EIG) was inspired by the concept of tensegrity, and was elaborated with assistance from Karl Erickson, Russell Chu, and other first power users of his Struck Java EIG application.

See CAD.

Videos

de Jong regularly shares videos on his YouTube channel, see https://www.youtube.com/user/geralddejong. Below is a selection:

Stressed, Dropped, Perturbed

Tensegrity Spheres

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

epjrXvOlbcI

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6I3utbJ1M8

Falling

a 6-frequency Tensegrity Sphere falling and colliding with the ground.

Tensegrity Array Bounce

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_6DfWNipTo

Created using POV-Ray and my own script generator.

Dropped Array

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2_0fR3zRAg

The diamond lattice structure formed by tensegrity bricks is dropped.

Breathing

Tensegrity Breathing

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlTAeuKn0nw

Computer rendered video showing how loose tension allows a tensegrity structure to "breathe."

Perturbation of 6 strut tensegrity

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO0mDWWGdvc

Studying the dynamics of tensegrity when it has been perturbed.

General

Tensegrity Triple Loop Buoyant Structure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frgIEcSej9E

About 36 6 strut tensegrities, joined together in three interlinked loops, being dipped in water.

Tensegrity Brick Connection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrpKjQr9B8s

Computer rendered video showing how two tensegrity bricks connect. Shows also the right-handed or left-handed chirality of the structure.

Building tensegrity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0EM-CF9Y7o

Computer rendered video of 6 strut tensegrities, with dynamic physics, being added one to another.

Tensegrity Drive-By

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyTm9QLWYy0

Panning past a huge number of 6 strut tensegrities.

Links and References

de Jong's website, [1]