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| posted Apr 13, 2008 1:07:36 AM | To All |
Hello. I have extensively studied floating compression models for the past 5 years. This structural model was invented by Kenneth Snelson, who was a student of Buckminster Fuller at the time. Fuller coined the term "tensegrity" -- a contraction of tensile integrity -- to talk about these structures (and the full story of that word is handled pretty well by its Wikipedia entry). Fuller's seminal text "Synergetics" talks about tensegrity in detail (the link points to the chapter on tensegrity).
In the last 15 years, several researchers have investigated nature's use of tensional integrity models:
Harvard Professor Donald Ingber has studied how cells use these push/pull models to create structure, move, and communicate with other cells. His Scientific American article, The Architecture of Life, is available for download here .
Dr. Stephen Levin, a recently-retired Orthopedic Surgeon, has studied these models over his career. While Ingber has investigated their application on a cellular level, Levin looks at their application to model our musculoskeletal anatomy. He has several papers available for download on his website.
Tom Flemons, an inventor, collaborates with Levin. He has created a variety of medical-grade functional anatomical models on his website. In 2006, Levin and Flemons created a DVD to show their work together.
Thomas Myers, founder of the structural integration school KMI, published the 2001 book "Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Professionals." This beautiful text is a tensegrity-oriented mapping of our musculoskeletal anatomy. Myers also provides his readers with a thorough introduction to fascial tissue, a key component to our structure. His website is a wonderful collection of papers and discussions.
One of the most interesting things I’ve found is a strong connection between body/mind activities and floating compression. Pilates, Yoga, Feldenkrais, T’ai Chi, and many other disciplines are all, to a large degree, about enhancing the springiness/resiliency in our bodies. Also, the strength of individual muscles is far less important than the balanced tension — the strength of the system as a whole.
The icon that I uploaded here for my postings here is an image of a floating compression model. I created it by drawing over a picture of a “Stik Trix” kit and then adding tint screens to create a 3-d perspective. These inexpensive kits are no longer commercially available; the manufacturer went out of business several years ago.
I would love to see Gaiam manufacture and sell these kits. I recently spoke with their inventor; he would love to see them once again be available to children, scientists, and the body/mind community. Tom Flemons’s models are wonderful, but we need a tool for the masses!
I actually live in Broomfield; I would be happy to drop by a local Starbucks or your offices to show and give you one (or maybe even two) of these kits.
Edited by: FloatingBones on Apr 13, 2008 3:48:23 PM |
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