What is a Strandbeest? They are a new lifeform created by artist Theo Jansen. Take a look:
Unlike Reuben Magonali's kinetic sculptures, Jansen's Strandbeest do not use fully rotating gears to achieve cyclical motion, rather partially rotating pivot pins. This sort of design is known as biomimicry. Humans do not need fully rotating gears to generate our steps; we simply require a pivot point at the ankle, knee and hip. When we walk, our outer thigh and buttock muscles constrict causing the 'strings' (or tendons) between the hip and the knee to become shorter. This causes the knee and all parts below to lift. That lift is guided by the pivot point in the hip. Another set of string like tendons passes behind our knee and connect to our lower leg behind the shins. Constricting the muscle on the inside of our thigh pulls on this set of strings and causes our lower leg to extend. That extension is controlled by the pivot point at our knee.
The way Strandbeest walks differs from human walking in that our pair of legs are independent; one can step while the other stands erect. The process of each leg stepping in tandem requires a decision. It is difficult to comprehend how the Strandbeest could make such a 'decision' without a brain or computer. Without the ability to decide, the Strandbeest remains non-autonomous. It must walk until it runs out of power. This challenge has surely occurred to Jansen. Perhaps he can devise a rigging solution to the problem.
Theo Jansen (1948 - )
Dutch artist Theo Jansen was trained in physics at The University of Deflt. His interest in arts and semi-autonomous objects began in the mid-70's when he created a flying saucer and created two hoaxes, one above Delft and another in Paris. Later he created a painting machine which was able to detect darkness and would trigger the machine to begin spraying paint. This enabled his painting machines to spray painted silhouettes (or shadows) of people. Since 1990 He has devoted his time to create autonomous mechanical animals he calls Strandbeest.Strandbeest (1990 - )
Strandbeest are created from pvc pipe tied and rigged together. They are sometimes driven by wind power with sails or wind mills. They walk and step in a way that mimics mammal-like footsteps. The feet are set up in a linear series and attached in pairs at pivot points, with each leg offset so that as one lever takes a step down another lever slides forward and then lifts up. While the assembly of these Strandbeest appear to be quite complex, it is rather the scale and repetition which creates this visual complexity. They are in fact based on simple machines.Unlike Reuben Magonali's kinetic sculptures, Jansen's Strandbeest do not use fully rotating gears to achieve cyclical motion, rather partially rotating pivot pins. This sort of design is known as biomimicry. Humans do not need fully rotating gears to generate our steps; we simply require a pivot point at the ankle, knee and hip. When we walk, our outer thigh and buttock muscles constrict causing the 'strings' (or tendons) between the hip and the knee to become shorter. This causes the knee and all parts below to lift. That lift is guided by the pivot point in the hip. Another set of string like tendons passes behind our knee and connect to our lower leg behind the shins. Constricting the muscle on the inside of our thigh pulls on this set of strings and causes our lower leg to extend. That extension is controlled by the pivot point at our knee.
The way Strandbeest walks differs from human walking in that our pair of legs are independent; one can step while the other stands erect. The process of each leg stepping in tandem requires a decision. It is difficult to comprehend how the Strandbeest could make such a 'decision' without a brain or computer. Without the ability to decide, the Strandbeest remains non-autonomous. It must walk until it runs out of power. This challenge has surely occurred to Jansen. Perhaps he can devise a rigging solution to the problem.
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