A lifting device, configured to expand in a first direction between a deflated configuration and an inflated configuration upon being filled with compressed gas, may have a continuous surface including a bottom surface, a lower and upper intermediate surfaces and a top surface. A bottom plate may be coupled to at least part of bottom surface and a top plate may be coupled to at least part of the top surface. The continuous surface may include a plurality of surface undulations that provide a low height profile when in the deflated configuration and a higher height profile when in the inflated configuration. The plurality of surface undulations may vary between a first and second height when in the deflated configuration, but in the inflated configuration the variance between the relative heights of any remaining undulations is relatively smaller.