Maine Republic Email Alert

. . . that I should bear witness unto the truth. John 18:33 // David E. Robinson, Publisher
. . . if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for battle? I Corinthians 14:8

No.020

Festo Launches SmartBird Robotic Seagull!

On Thursday, March 24, 2011, Festo unveiled their 2011 Bionic Learning Network projects, the most awesome of which is definitely their SmartBird Robotic Seagull. Watch it fly in the videos below. Unlike many of Festos prior flying robots, SmartBird doesnt rely on lifting gas at all. It weighs less than half a kilo, and is capable of autonomous take-off, flight, and landing using just its two meter-long wings. SmartBird is modeled very closely on the herring gull, and controls itself the same way birds do, by twisting its body, wings, and tail. For example, if you look closely in the videos, you can see SmartBird turning its head to steer.

Aerodynamic lightweight design SmartBird is an ultralight but powerful flight model with excellent aerodynamic qualities and extreme agility. With SmartBird, Festo has succeeded in deciphering the flight of birds one of the oldest dreams of humankind. This bionic technology-bearer, which is inspired by the herring gull, can start, fly and land autonomously with no additional drive mechanism. Its wings not only beat up and down, but also twist at specific angles. This is made possible by an active articulated torsional drive unit, which in combination with a complex control system attains an unprecedented level of efficiency in flight operation. Festo has thus succeeded for the first time in creating an energyefficient technical adaptation of this model from nature.

New approaches in automation The functional integration of coupled drive units yields significant ideas and insights that Festo can transfer to the development and optimisation of hybrid drive technology. The minimal use of materials and the extremely lightweight construction pave the way for efficiency in resource and energy consumption. Festo already today puts its expertise in the field of fluid dynamics to use in the development of the latest generations of cylinders and valves. By analysing SmartBirds flow characteristics during the course of its development, Festo has acquired additional knowledge for the optimisation of its product solutions and has learned to design even more efficiently.

Festo SmartBird http://tinyurl.com/44ywbgl

Bird Flight Deciphered http://tinyurl.com/3h9b6ud

Festo SmartBird Animation http://tinyurl.com/3qprmvj

( Maine Patriot Books ) http://tinyurl.com/3ovmxds

Available from your local book retailer or from AMAZON.com