Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/03/24/how-does-this-floating-table.html
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I love it! [yelling at the computer helps]…
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Tensegrity structure - nothin new but always cool.
In that “table” a portion of the tension member is actually the frame, but it’s the same principal.
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Because it’s not floating. It’s hanging from the middle thread. The other 3 just keep it level.
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Physics! It works by physics!
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Nooooooo! Magic! It works by magic! 
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I’m putting a compressive load on this thread right now!
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I can feel it through my computer, ooooooooof
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Indeed
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My cat really likes this video for some reason.
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Now I’m wondering if you could just balance it with counterweights on arms hanging down from the top piece. The weights would have to be lower than the top attachment point of the center string, I think.
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Nifty, what’s better than nifty? This!
I now know why I kept those black walnut slabs and bronze cable of an old clipper. Now, I need to prototype with plywood and cordage till I get it right. Great idea!
A square or hexagons would provide more stability, right? What about multiple vertical supports ie: three vertical in a triangle pattern, six outer supports with a hexagon top and base?
Quick boingboing poll: triangle, square, hexagon, octagon, other shape? What if the top and bottom are not symmetrical, it would still work? What about organic/irregular shape?
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Friggin’ tensegrity, how does it work?
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Structural engineering, bitches!
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Physics IS magic!
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Tru dat!
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The table does look neat.
But is this really a tensegrity table? Look more like it’s just hanging by a thread. The other threads are there just to keep it balanced.
I also feel the presenter is just bad at explaining. He’s too amazed by the cleverness of using a string to hold up a table. When this model should the first in a series.
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Tensegrity is definitely neat, it might have been a cory novel that had bicycles made using tensegrity. Possibly makers?
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Lot’s of variations exist for this idea. No need for fancy 3D printing! This popped up first when I searched for “tensegrity illusions”: https://youtu.be/f6ZUV8AURMw?t=109
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Sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
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