Morphable inertial appemdage, systems and associated methods

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods of controlling movement of a host mechanical system using inertial forces imparted by an augmentable or morphable appendage. Such appendages are attached to the host mechanical system such that augmentation or morphing of the appendage to move a mass of the appendage from an extended to a retracted configuration imparts inertial forces to the supporting structure. Augmentation/morphing is controlled and coordinated such that imparted inertial forces facilitate a desired movement of the mechanical system. The imparted forces can include translation forces and/or rotational forces along one or more axes. The augmentation or morphing of the appendage can be performed concurrently with separately controlled coordinated movement of the appendage to facilitate a desired movement of the mechanical system. Such appendages can include, but are not limited to, telescoping and/or folding designs.