3190: Tensegrity

2026-01-13T01:01:15Z

2A00:FBC:F337:848:C76:9633:D59F:60CF: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 3190
| date = January 5, 2026
| title = Tensegrity
| image = tensegrity_2x.png
| imagesize = 260x352px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Some people argue that the tension and compression in the human skeleton is technically tensegrity, but it's missing the defining characteristic: making people say 'wtf, how is that thing floating?' when they see it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a string. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Tensegrity}} structures are structures that are suspended using a combination of rigid and compressional components, usually a series of rods and cords that give the illusion of a floating object held down by the cords, which subverts people's expectations about what is physically possible. [[wikipedia:Buckminster Fuller|Buckminster Fuller]] coined the term [[wikipedia:Tensegrity|tensegrity]] from the words "tensional integrity" ([https://doi.org/10.7556%2Fjaoa.2013.113.1.34 see here]), and Steve Mould describes the mechanism in [https://youtu.be/0onncd0_0-o?si=-S-QMrZffi9L06ky this video].

[[Randall]] makes the claim that there are animals which use tensegrity in their anatomy, naming the (fictional) "Buckminster's Giraffe" as an example. The panel shows the legs of the {{w|giraffe}} using a structure similar to that of a tensegrity table. Some people consider the giraffe to be an example of a body form that appears to defy their expectations of biophysical laws because of their unusually long legs and neck as compared to the body.

[https://www.physio-pedia.com/Biotensegrity Biotensegrity] does study the role that tensegrity plays in living organisms, such as plants and animals. However, this is at cellular level, rather than the macroscopic level shown in the comic.

The title text points out that it can be argued that humans (and other vertebrates) use tensegrity in our anatomy, since we're held up by the combination of compression in our bones and tension in our muscles. Randall, however, argues that this misses the "defining characteristic" of a tensegrity structure, which is that the mechanism support isn't immediately obvious, causing the structure to appear as though it is "floating" to a casual or uninformed observer (and making them wonder ''how'' it is floating until they learn about or self-construe the nature of tensegrity). Humans, thanks to our skin and other various layers, outwardly look like a single solid structure, making the tensional forces less obvious and less impressive.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[Cueball stands at the left of the panel, and at the right is a giraffe-like animal whose legs appear to be made of a tensegrity structure, with disconnected segments held together by strings]
:[Caption below the panel:]
:While tensegrity is rare in the animal kingdom, a few species, such as Buckminster's Giraffe, are known to employ it.

==Trivia==
*While this comic was up the [[Header text]] changed back to the [[Header_text#2025-01-07_-_Back_to_standard_text|standard header text]] for the first time in 4 years.
**It was also the first time in more than 13 months that the header text changed at all, with the previous change occurring on [[Header_text#2024-12-05_-_Special_10th_anniversary_edition_of_WHAT_IF.3F_-_order|2024-12-05]].
**There had thus been promotion for the new Special 10th anniversary edition of WHAT IF? for more than 1.5 years, and for [[what if? (blog)|what if?]] in general for more than 4 years.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Giraffes]]

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3190: Tensegrity