Robotics is something that interests us all to a greater or lesser degree. In recent years, we have seen major technological advances, but the company Festo is undoubtedly the one that gets the most out of this. Examples? Look at Festo's incredible flying robots..
Festo is a German engineering company dedicated to the automation industry. Its typical tasks include designing custom machines and automation processes. Unsurprisingly, Festo has ties with universities, institutes, and development companies through its Bionic Learning Network program. They are using this to explore ideas and initiatives that go beyond the core business of automation and didactics, which can lead to future products and areas; currently these projects involve its new line of pneumatic actuators. Some of these projects are Festo's incredible flying robots like the AirPenguin, AirJelly, and SmartBird.
AirPenguin: The Flying Penguin
The AirPenguin is, as you might have guessed, a robotic penguin that can fly. In the video you can see a group of three penguins flying autonomously through a defined airspace controlled by ultrasound transmission stations. The penguins are free to move within this space; a microcontroller gives them free will to explore it. The internal parts of the AirPenguin consist of four flexible carbon fiber rods that work with actuators that move the head, tail, and wing appendages for flight.
In fact, the wings are capable of moving forward and backward, which also allows the robot to turn. The movements are performed through complex navigation sensors and a communications platform powered by an XBee module. In short, we have an agile and easily manageable design with a 3D structure that uses the Fin Ray Effect on the front and back of the robot. The idea behind the AirPenguin is for the continuous development of biomechatronic systems that imitate natural movements and can be adapted to robotic systems.
AirJelly: The Aerial Jellyfish
The AirJelly is an aerial robotic jellyfish. Unlike the AquaJelly (the aquatic version), this robot glides through an air sea thanks to its electric motor and intelligent adaptation mechanism. Similar to the AirPenguin, the AirJelly houses a helium balloon to keep it buoyant; however, instead of driven fins to maneuver, it uses eight tentacles actuated by levers at the ends to move up, down, sideways, forward, and backward. Each tentacle is designed as a Fin Ray Effect structure.
The AirJelly's only power source is two lithium-ion polymer batteries connected to the central electric drive unit. The force is transmitted to a bevel gear and from there to a succession of eight gears that represent the tentacles. The robot shifts its weight using two servomotors that move a gravity pendulum. When the pendulum moves to a different angle, the robot's center of gravity also shifts, and it heads in the direction the AirJelly's head points. This new drive concept, with peristaltic propulsion based on the recoil principle, moves the jellyfish smoothly through the air.
SmartBird: The Mechanical Bird
Finally, the company's latest design is the SmartBird, a mechanical bird that flies. With SmartBird, Festo has managed to decipher the flight of birds, one of humanity's oldest dreams. This bionic technology, inspired by the silver gull and its flight characteristics, such as taking off, flying, and landing on its own. Remember that the wings not only move up and down, but also twist at specific angles. This is possible thanks to an articulated torsion unit, which, in combination with a complex control system, achieves an unprecedented level of efficiency in flight operations.
The functional integration of the coupled drive units produces significant ideas and viewpoints that Festo can transfer to the development and optimization of hybrid propulsion technology. The minimal use of materials and extremely lightweight construction pave the way for resource and energy efficiency of the SmartBird. By analyzing the flow characteristics of these flying robots during their development, Festo has gained additional knowledge for optimizing its product solutions and has learned to design more efficiently. What other mechanical wonders will the company surprise us with? Only time will tell.
Festo.
