I fiddled with my tensegrity stand for a few hours today and came across my own breakthroughs. First, let it be said that I'm no mathematician. I'm sure there are some very accurate computer models that could have done a better job at "I-told-you-so" than me falling on my backside time and time again.
The main discovery I made is that the poles must have a higher angle, otherwise the downward force drags the poles to the ground, instead of directing the weight through the poles (if that makes sense). To do this, I had to shorten my top triangle length and lengthen the side tendons.
The other discovery I made is that I needed more than just one side tendon. There are two reasons for this. First, when my weight was applied to the hammock, the two struts/poles I was attached to bent inward. Adding the second side tendon to each strut kept the top of the tensegrity from moving or compressing.
The additional side tendon also eliminated all twisting motion from the stand, which also helped keep my backside off the ground.
I had to stake at least two of the struts to prevent tipping with one person. I probably should do all the struts.
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