Date of Award
Summer 1994
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Weber, Robert C.
Second Advisor
Nigro, Nicholas J.
Third Advisor
Stango, Robert J.
Abstract
The motivation behind this project stems from a magazine article that described the bio-mechanics of trunks and tentacles. It grabbed my attention and soon had me trying to devise a mechanical analog for such systems. After devising and examining countless alternatives, the Variable Geometry Truss (VGT) percolated through as being the most promising model with which to start. Although it is probably not the best analogy to the tentacle, its motions are similar, and even though complex, it is a more structured and practical model with which to work; a solid stepping stone with which to begin the journey.
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