La empresa de ingeniería alemana Festo ha desarrollado un pájaro robot capaz de realizar un vuelo como si fuera un ave real.
La compañía afirma que el modelo no tiene una salida comercial pero esperan encontrar la manera de poder comercializar el prototipo a medio o largo plazo, mientras tanto Fesco ha compartido unas impresionantes imágenes que muestran lo que el androide es capaz de hacer.
Festo ya había desarrollado otros prototipos, pero según sus expertos ninguno había alcanzado el nivel de desarrollo de BionicSwift, que es capaz de revolotear y autodirigir su vuelo gracias a un sistema de navegación 3D y un GPS.
El robot está equipado con unas plumas artificiales ultraligeras. Cada unidad pesa tan solo 42 gramos, el doble que un gorrión real, y utiliza una batería de 6 gramos que le dota de una autonomía de 7 minutos.
«La interacción inteligente de los motores y la mecánica permite que la frecuencia del batir de las alas y el ángulo de ataque del elevador se ajusten con precisión para las diferentes maniobras», aseguró la compañía en un comunicado.
Festo has built miniaturised robots before, but nothing quite like these birds, which are able to flutter through the air, gliding and even directing themselves thanks to a radio system.
Officially called the BionicSwift, the next generation robot is able to fly thanks to ultra-lightweight artificial feathers.
Each device weighs only 42 grams, meaning nine of them would weigh the same as a full soft drink can – or about twice as much as a real swallow.
Festo has managed to get the birds to fly with realistic motion thanks to the artificial feathers and soft plates covering their bodies.
When the BionicSwift robots rise in the air, these lightweight plates bunch up to provide the lift – and when the robo-birds descend, the plates fan out to allow them to glide gracefully, or to make sharp turns and fly in loops.
«The intelligent interaction of motors and mechanics allows the frequency of the wing beat and the elevator’s angle of attack to be precisely adjusted for the various manoeuvre,» says Festo.
The battery powering the birds weighs just six grams, which only allows for about seven minutes of flying time.
The flights are also limited to an enclosed area, which is dotted with GPS transponders to guide the birds through a programmed flight path, although they are able to reroute if their flight is disturbed by winds or gusts.
«The intelligent networking of flight objects and GPS routing makes for a 3D navigation system that could be used in the networked factory of the future,» Festo suggested about its potential uses.
But even if the BionicSwallow remains no more than a toy, it is an amazing toy to look at.
