Maker Faire Bay Area 2024
Hyperbolic paraboloid wind-proof Rain and Shade cover
Home: California, United States
Do you need a shade structure for a BIG project, event, or Burningman camp? This is a do-it-yourself project that any group can make out of off-the-shelf components. The Hyperbolic paraboloid "saddle" shape is easy to achieve and has special properties. A 40’ square flat tarp could be a disaster in windy conditions. The uplift force is enough to lift the whole tarp and slam it back down. But the downward corners of the saddle prevent this from happening. If it rains, all of the water is directed to these same two low points.
Maker
TomSawyerLabs
TomSawyerLabs is a co working space in East Palo Alto. On the site of Bloomhouse, a community center. We are a collection of independent robotics and green technology researchers. We also host the local FIRST Robotics team, the Churrobots.
https://www.facebook.com/TomSawyerLabs/posts/2396847433740071/What Inspired You to Make This?
The excess rain at burning man caught us all off guard last year. The pesky “light gaps” became waterfalls. We’ve all noodled about making something fancy and special, but few have the time or money. A super simple super effective solution finally gelled. The most important factor is that anyone can make this out of the common shade materials we all use.
