The last time we talked about Festo we discovered its latest creation, a robot inspired by the acrobatic spider Cebrennus rechenbergi that can roll as well as run. Now, if there is something we must recognize about this German company, it is that it does not rest on its laurels, and less than a month later comes the turn of BionicFlyingFox, a robot based on the famous flying foxes or fruit bats. It has a wingspan of more than two meters, and a special membrane on its wings allows it to keep its weight below 600 grams.
Fruit bats have become very popular on the Web thanks to several animated GIFs and videos that show them eating bananas, wrapped in towels, and even with pacifiers. In some cases they seem like small puppies, melting hearts around the world. However, we must not be fooled: Beyond their potential as reservoirs of different pathogens, fruit bats play a critical role in the natural distribution of many plants, and at the same time they are a source of inspiration for other developments. That brings us once again to Festo's laboratories, which has just presented its new BionicFlyingFox:
With a wingspan of 228 centimeters, a body length of 87 centimeters, and a weight of just 580 grams, the specifications of the BionicFlyingFox are impressive, but the real crown jewel is none other than the membrane used in its wings. It is a woven surface of elastane (spandex) that adopts a honeycomb structure to prevent small fissures from becoming larger over time. The elastane is welded at 45,000 points, and its natural elasticity virtually eliminates wrinkles, even when its wings are closed. Even if the surface suffers minor damage, the BionicFlyingFox can continue flying.
The flight of this robotic bat has been classified by Festo as semi-autonomous, since it constantly communicates with a tracking system based on two infrared cameras, and an artificial intelligence that calculates flight plans and sends the necessary algorithms to BionicFlyingFox so it can carry out its maneuvers with greater efficiency. The only unknown? Festo kept the details about its battery to itself, so we don't know how long it stays in the air...
