"The Thing" (Het Ding) - A Tensegrity Sculpture

This is Het Ding (translated: The Thing), a dexterity puzzle / physics sculpture

It is a 3D printable version of the art piece that appeared on the University of Twente campus during the night of the 12th of April 1974:

And nobody knew who made it, but the University has been taking care of it ever since. The design is based on a tensegrity model made by architect Richard Buckminster Fuller and built from used phone poles and steel cable. The tension in the cable keeps the top three poles floating in the air to create this mesmerizing art piece.

My 3D printable version consists of 6 poles and 6 rubber bands (approximately 50mm / 2 inch in diameter). Constructing the design is a test of your dexterity and might take some tries. Or you can just let your students handle the fiddling!

First wrap one band around each pole like this:

And after that it is just a matter of patience and determination.

Happy printing and sculpting!

- Rossero