Patent ID: 7820096

Claim:
A method comprising a) shaping a flexible substrate impermeable to a given working fluid into one or more cells capable of containing without loss said working fluid under pressure, b) followed by arranging said cells next to each other in a pre-determined deflated configuration defining one or more planes, spherical shells, conical shells, or any combination thereof, c) followed by a step selected from the group consisting of i) adhering each cell to its neighbors in such a fashion that inflation of said cells with said working fluid shall constrain at one or more points the initial geometry of the resultant assembly into a pre-determined deformation along the axis perpendicular to the tangent defining the aforesaid planes, spherical shells, conical shells, or any combination thereof, ii) applying and adhering a flexible backing membrane to said cell or cells in such a fashion that inflation of said cell or cells with said working fluid shall constrain at one or more points the initial geometry of the resultant assembly into a pre-determined deformation along the axis perpendicular to the tangent defining the aforesaid planes, spherical shells, conical shells, or any combination thereof, iii) and applying and adhering a flexible backing membrane to said cells in such a fashion that inflation of said cells with said working fluid shall constrain at one or more points the initial geometry of the resultant assembly into a pre-determined deformation along the axis perpendicular to the tangent defining the aforesaid planes, spherical shells, conical shells, or any combination thereof and then additionally directly adhering one or more cells to their neighbor, d) followed by connecting said cells via pressure conduits capable of transmitting the pressure necessary to effect the aforesaid pre-determined deformation, e) followed by connecting the aforesaid pressure conduits to one or more remote pressure sources capable of supplying adequate pressure to achieve the aforementioned pre-determined deformation at the target site, f) followed by regulating said pressure by means of a regulatory mechanism to achieve, maintain or dynamically modulate the geometry of the assembly.