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What do a trunk and a fin have in common?Industrial automation specialist, Festo sets out to apply naturalprinciples to industrial practice and to use the biomechatronicresults of this process in its automation systems. This dedication isevident through the company’s Bionic Learning Network, which isan alliance of educational establishments and specialist companiestasked with exploring bionic solutions for evolutionary automationapplications.The Bionic Learning Network aims to develop decentralised, selfcontrollingand self-organising systems and its main focus is usingbionics in the formulation of new principles of operation for thedelivery of energy efficient, mechanical engineering innovations.The Bionic Handling Assistant is the network’s newest offering,providing a completely flexible and safe means of moving objects fromone position to another. Inspired by an elephant’s trunk, the ‘assistant’employs innovative biomechatronics technology to minimise hazardsof direct contact between machines and human operators.In the event of contact between the Bionic Handling Assistant anda human, the assistant will yield immediately without modifying itsdesired overall dynamic behaviour, and will resume its operation oncethe threat has been averted. Unlike other heavy industrial robots,this assistant is characterised by an excellent mass-payload ratio. Inaddition, it provides smooth operating motion with more degrees offreedom and makes efficient use of its resources in production andoperation.The assistant comprises three basic elements for spatial movement,along with a hand axis with ball joint and a gripper with adaptivefingers. The basic elements each comprise three circularly arrangedactuators tapering at an angle of three degrees.Each actuator is supplied with compressed air at the interfacesof the basic elements. Resetting is effected by the loop-like designof the actuators, which act like a spring when the compressed airis discharged. Bowden cable potentiometers on the outside of theactuators register their extension and control the system’s spatialmovement. In the hand axis, three further actuators are arrangedaround a ball joint.Their activation displaces the gripper by an angle of up to 30°.SMAT sensors from Festo register the travel and make for preciseWWatt’s Technologyalignment, while VPWP proportional directional control valves areused for the overall control of the Bionic Handling Assistant.This latest innovation could open up a host of new applicationsthat involve direct, non-hazardous contact between humans androbots. These include using equipment in hospitals and rehabilitationcentres or in agricultural and animal husbandry applications.Another interesting materials handling solution from Festo, isthe BionicTripod 2.0, derived from the tail fin of a fish. It can bedescribed as a horizontally arranged tripod that is rotated at 90degrees from the conventional tripod configuration.It consists of a drive unit, a tripod structure free to move in allspatial directions, a flexible hand axis and an adaptive FinGrippersoft handling unit. The hand axis is structured in a way that is similarto the one used on the Bionic Handling Assistant, but has the addedadvantage of three extra degrees of freedom and a 30 degree rangeof deflection. The highly versatile FinGripper constitutes the interfacebetween the object and the actuators and consists of a pneumaticactuator in the form of a bellow and three gripping fingers.Precise control and displacement of the tripod structure areensured by the EGC electric linear axis and EMMS electric drivefrom Festo. The system is controlled by the CMXR robotic controlsoftware, which combines mechanics, electrical drive and controltechnology into a complete kinematic systems solution and coordinateshighly dynamic spatial movements.A particular advantage of the BionicTripod 2.0’s horizontalconfiguration is that objects can be picked up from the workingsurface and deposited to the side at a different level, a beneficialfeature for different agricultural applications and for the sorting ofmaterials for recycling. Since the structure is pliable and flexible, itis ideal for tasks in human-machine interaction and can be used insorting applications or as a ‘third’ hand.The tripod was developed to achieve a maximum scope of operationwith a minimum weight of the moving parts, which enhances energyefficiency. It is an example of the forms energy efficiency may take inthe future of automation technology, made possible by electric linearactuators, electric motors, robotic control, pneumatic valves, sensortechnology and control technology from Festo.Elephant trunk: Drawing inspiration from nature, Festo mimicked theflexibility and versatility of the elephant trunk for its latest design in theBionic Learning Network, the Bionic Handling Assistant.Bionic handling: The Bionic Handling Assistant from Festo offers completeflexibility and the ability to safely move objects from one position to another.September 2010 27