This site relies heavily on Javascript. You should enable it if you want the full experience. Learn more.

GK-0G "Floating Habitat 2012"

credits mino, GK TECH Inc.

GK Design Group 60th Anniversary
Nov 15th 2012
Tokyo, Japan

The GK-0G is the minimum size prototype of a scalable floating installation.
It is composed of five tetrahedral frameworks, its basic structural elements, arranged like sections of an orange. It is enveloped with a cover which acts as an interface between internal and external environments.
Flotation is gained by tetra balloons inside the tetrahedral frameworks. As the only choice at this moment, helium is encapsulated inside the tetra balloons made of an impermeable film.

This model is meant to verify that it can float and move in the air. It is considered that different degrees of flotation can be gained by combining tetra balloons in different ways.

Diameter: 3300 mm Height: 1700 mm
Deadweight: 1060 g Maximum weight with rigs: 2690 g
Helium: approx. 4000ℓ

Tetra Structure:
3mm/2mm carbon fiber pipe 6g/m
30 pipes 55 m 334 g

Geodesic Structure:
1.5mm/0.8mm carbon fiber pipe 2g/m
440 pipes 201 m 402 g

Hub:
205 POMs 197 g

Surface Skin:
Super-Organza (Amaike Textile Industry, Co., Ltd. 7-denier microfiber)
5g/m2 25m2 124g

Tetra Balloon:
Helium 790ℓ
Gas Barrier Film by Unitika Ltd.
Sevix film (presented by Unitika) 17.5g/m2
Surface area 5m2 87g Bouyancy approx 750g
Five balloons per framework

Illuminant:
9W full color LED module
Equivalent to a 50W lamp x 5
Computer modulated lighting

Jet-spray Drive Unit:
Air pressure (4 atmospheric pressure) 3 nozzle atomizers
2 servo rotary nozzles controlling rotation and the direction of movement
1 fixed nozzle controlling vertical directions

Controllers of communication, the illuminant and driving:
1 Arduino device with Wi-fi wireless communication

PC Communication Control:
vvvv
(it's non-commercial poject :)

Video Music:
"Oxygen Garden" by Chris Zabriskie (chriszabriskie.com)