Festo unveils bionic penguins and BionicTripod

Festo's Bionic Learning Network has developed two colonies of 'bionic penguins' that demonstrate collective behaviour. This type of behaviour - which psychologists also call crowd behaviour - refers to social processes that emerge in a spontaneous manner when members of a group interact. In robotic terms, each penguin is an autonomous self-regulating unit that is free to explore its defined environment using complex built-in navigation and communication facilities, and is capable of modifying its behaviour in the presence of others, to fulfil a group purpose.

Festo believes that autonomous, self-regulating processes are likely to become increasingly significant in automated production systems of the future. An example of this technology could be the organisation of highly flexible, autonomous robots within a pull-through production environment.

The transfer flow, from research to practical everyday use, is already apparent: the penguins use the highly innovative 3D Fin Ray Effect structure - co-developed with the specialist bionics company EvoLogics GmbH - to create lifelike movement of their heads and tails. The 3D Fin Ray Effect structure is based on two flexible bands that meet at their tips to form a triangle, with interconnecting links spaced at regular intervals. Festo has incorporated this structure in an adaptive gripping device known as the FinGripper, manufactured from polyamide powder using a selective laser sintering (SLS) process, which weighs just 10 per cent of its equivalent metallic components, and is capable of moving pressure-sensitive workpieces of varying shapes and sizes very efficiently. To further demonstrate the potential benefits of this technology, Festo has taken its kinematic tripod robot solution and developed a dynamic display called the BionicTripod, which integrates the gripper with an innovative three-axis positioning system (see photo right and link to movie below).

Festo is releasing two colonies of bionic penguins on the unsuspecting public at the Hannover Messe trade exhibition in Germany. Each colony comprises three individuals. The AquaPenguins (see top photo and link to movie below) are confined to a water tank and use special 3D sonar to swim around and explore their environment without bumping into one another.

But the AirPenguins are a different matter altogether; perhaps because their real-life counterparts have evolved to the point where they are unable to fly like other marine birds, the bionic versions seem determined to make up for lost time. Although the air space available for these helium-filled creatures is loosely defined by ultrasonic transmitting stations, they are entirely free to move around their 'sea of air' using Xbee wireless links to communicate with each other.

Needless to say, the activities of the bionic penguins and the BionicTripod are visually arresting and have been captured on video. To watch the action, follow these links:

• AquaPenguins
• AirPenguins
• BionicTripod

Each of these web pages also offers a brochure that can be downloaded in PDF format.