"Wyrd" Elephant Compliant Mechanism

Summary

The Wyrd Elephant is an origami-inspired compliant mechanism developed by the BYU CMR lab. The Elephant is a perfect example of the flexibility of compliant mechanisms. When pushed to the left or right, the elephant moves easily without breaking, then snaps right back into place.

A Wyrd mechanism is a compliant mechanism that has motion similar to a double parallel mechanism.

These mechanisms are examples of how compliant mechanisms can be used to create specific desired motions. The coupler point rotates but does not translate, as if the point were pinned to ground but it is actually unconstrained. The mechanism workings are disguised by integration with various shapes (in this case, animals).

The compliant mechanism topology was developed by the BYU CMR as an illustrative example, and the motion is based on a well known rigid-link mechanism. The term "Wyrd mechanism" was coined by CMR students, and the word "wyrd" is ancestral to the modern "weird" (e.g. see Shakespeare's usage of wyrd in Macbeth).

Learn More

This design was developed by the Compliant Mechanisms Research Group (CMR) from Brigham Young University (BYU). Follow us at @byucmr on Instagram or visit the BYU Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) website to learn more about compliant mechanisms.

You can also check out another version of our wyrd mechanism here.

Technical Information

To learn more about compliant mechanisms, see the BYU Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) website or these books: Compliant Mechanisms, Handbook of Compliant Mechanisms 

Intellectual Property

The downloadable 3D print files provided here may be used, modified, and enjoyed for noncommercial use. To license this technology for commercial applications, contact:

BYU Technology Transfer Office
3760 Harold B. Lee Library
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
Phone: (801) 422-6266
https://techtransfer.byu.edu/contact