A segmented spindle, also known by the trademark Kataka, is a specialized mechanical linear actuator conceived by the Danish mechanical engineer Jens Joerren Soerensen during the mid-1990s. The actuator forms a telescoping tubular column, or spindle, from linked segments resembling curved parallelograms. The telescoping linear actuator has a lifting capacity up to 200 kg (~440 pounds) for a travel of 400 mm (~15.75 inches).