  This paper deals with a concept for a reconfigurable structure bio-inspired
by the cell wall architecture of euglenids, a family of unicellular protists,
and based on the relative sliding of adjacent strips. Uniform sliding turns a
cylinder resulting from the assembly of straight and parallel strips into a
cylinder of smaller height and larger radius, in which the strips are deformed
into a family of parallel helices. We examine the mechanics of this cylindrical
assembly, in which the interlocking strips are allowed to slide freely at their
junctions, and compute the external forces (axial force and axial torque at the
two ends, or pressure on the lateral surface) necessary to drive and control
the shape changes of the composite structure. Despite the simplicity of the
structure, we find a remarkably complex mechanical behaviour that can be tuned
by the spontaneous curvature or twist of the strips.
