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Mechanical Engineering
SMASH Lab
Smart Materials and Shock Lab

METS: Multi-Stiffness Expandable Tensegrity Structure

METS is a lightweight, under-clothing sleeve that stiffens like a cast or loosens like a sleeve—all with a single pull of a cable, no motors, no batteries—revolutionizing how we support injured arms, boost athletic performance, and enable adaptive rehab.

BABATA
The Multi-Stiffness Expandable Tensegrity Structure (METS) is a passive, wearable tensegrity system that dynamically modulates axial and radial stiffness using a clustered cable.

BABATA

METS was validated through 2D benchtop and 3D arm model testing (BABATA), METS achieves a 79% increase in axial stiffness and 55% in radial stiffness by tensioning the cable, enabling real-time biomechanical support without power or bulk.

Applications

Its expandable, ~10 mm thin design conforms to swelling limbs, allows early intervention post-injury, and outperforms fixed-stiffness sleeves and casts in flexibility and adaptability. With applications in rehabilitation, orthotics, sports science, military gear, and assistive robotics, METS lays the foundation for next-generation, user-tunable wearables—paving the way for sensor-integrated, multi-cable, and large-scale tensegrity systems that predict and enhance human motion.

Publications

Gallart, AE, & Hill, JR. "Modeling and Optimization of METS: A Wearable Tensegrity Brace for Adaptive Stiffness Control in Human Applications." Proceedings of the ASME 2025 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems. ASME 2025 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems. St. Louis, Missouri, USA. September 8–10, 2025. V001T03A004. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/SMASIS2025-167581