Industrial automation specialist, Festo is committed to applying natural principles to industrial practice and to utilising the biomechatronic results of this process in its automation systems. This dedication is evident through the company's Bionic Learning Network, which is an alliance of educational establishments and specialist companies tasked with exploring bionic solutions for evolutionary automation applications.
Drawing inspiration from nature's ability to achieve maximum performance with minimal energy consumption, the Bionic Learning Network aims to develop decentralised, self-controlling and self-organising systems. The network's main focus is on utilising bionics in the formulation of new principles of operation for the delivery of energy efficient, mechanical engineering innovations.
The Bionic Handling Assistant (seen here) is the network's newest offering, providing a completely flexible and safe means of moving objects from one position to another. Inspired by an elephant's trunk, the Assistant employs innovative biomechatronics technology and introduces a new concept, whereby direct contact between machines and their human operators is no longer hazardous. In the event of contact between the Bionic Handling Assistant and a human, the assistant will yield immediately without modifying its desired overall dynamic behaviour, and will resume its operation once the threat has been averted. Unlike other heavy industrial robots, this assistant is characterised by an excellent mass-payload ratio.
In addition, it provides smooth operating motion with more degrees of freedom and makes efficient use of its resources in production and operation.
The assistant consists of three basic elements for spatial movement, along with a hand axis with ball joint and a gripper with adaptive fingers. The basic elements each comprise three circularly arranged actuators tapering at an angle of three degrees. Each actuator is supplied with compressed air at the interfaces of the basic elements. Resetting is effected by the loop-like design of the actuators, which act like a spring when the compressed air is discharged. Bowden cable potentiometers on the outside of the actuators register their extension and control the system's spatial movement. In the hand axis, three further actuators are arranged around 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 precise alignment, while VPWP proportional directional control valves are used for the overall control of the Bionic Handling Assistant.
www.festo.com
