Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Bionic Elephant's Trunk, Manta Rays and Jelly Fish

Posted by Soulskill on from the gadgets-that-can-terrify-children-and-adults dept.

Zothecula writes "Festo, the automation company that designed the bionic penguin and its robotic stablemates – AirRay, AquaRay, AirJelly and AquaJelly – has found another natural model in its latest application of biomimicry – the elephant's trunk. Festo's Bionic Learning Network research program focuses on mechatronic and bionic concepts using nature as a model. 'The AquaJelly is possibly the most interesting of all the bionic creatures as it has been designed to autonomously emulate swarming behavior of wild jellyfish. Like the others, it consists of an electric drive unit and intelligent adaptive mechanism, but with a control board housed by a translucent dome, a water-tight body and eight tentacles. The control board has pressure, light and radio sensors that work with eight blue and eight white LEDs allowing communication between the AquaJellies.'"

15 of 27 comments (clear)

  1. !bionic by geekmansworld · · Score: 2

    Sorry to be the stickler, but someone needs to look at their dictionary. "Bionic" (a portmanteau of "bio" and "electronic") is a pretty much a synonym for cybernetic. This story is about biomimicry, not bionics.

    Carry on. :-)

    1. Re:!bionic by geekmansworld · · Score: 1

      ... and before stickler #2 gets to me, allow me to correct myself: "cybernetic organism", not "cybernetic".

    2. Re:!bionic by Amorymeltzer · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually, the word comes from bio- and -ic, which means "like" or "akin to." Bionic is really just a synonym for mimicry, although its usage in medicine is not necessarily the same.

      http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bionic
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionics

      --
      I live in constant fear of the Coming of the Red Spiders.
    3. Re:!bionic by geekmansworld · · Score: 1

      Sorry crowdsource, but I am more inclined to trust the American Oxford Dictionary than the Wikipedia entry.

      "bionic |biänik|
      adjective
      having artificial body parts, esp. electromechanical ones."

  2. The trunk by Dyinobal · · Score: 1

    The image of the trunk makes me think of Doctor Octopus more than an elephant.

  3. Weaponize them and build an army by digitaldc · · Score: 1

    What could possibly go wrong?
    I, for one, welcome our new bionic penguin-ray-jellyfish-elephant-translucent-tentacled overlords.

    --
    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
  4. Pictures? by Amorymeltzer · · Score: 1

    Is anyone else finding it really hard to judge these things without realistic images? Most of these are heavily posed with a hand/arm model, which makes them hard to take at face value.

    --
    I live in constant fear of the Coming of the Red Spiders.
    1. Re:Pictures? by Golden_Rider · · Score: 3, Informative

      here you go, movie:

      http://www.festo.com/cms/en_corp/11082_11090.htm

    2. Re:Pictures? by Amorymeltzer · · Score: 1

      Nice - they really focus on the handling assistant, but at about one-third to one-half of the way through, Holy Floating Balloons Batman! That Air Jelly is gorgeous.

      --
      I live in constant fear of the Coming of the Red Spiders.
    3. Re:Pictures? by Golden_Rider · · Score: 2, Interesting

      then you might find these interesting:

      http://www.festo.com/cms/en_corp/9772_10378.htm#id_10378
      http://www.festo.com/cms/en_corp/9786_10401.htm#id_10401

  5. It needn't be a little penguin by RevWaldo · · Score: 3, Funny

    It can be the biggest penguin you've ever seen! An electric penguin, twenty feet high, with long green tentacles that sting people!

    .

    --
    Prisencolinensinainciusol. Ol Rait!
    1. Re:It needn't be a little penguin by cynyr · · Score: 1

      but what do electric penguins dream of?

      --
      All of the above was encrypted with a Quad ROT-13 method. Unauthorized decryption is in violation of the DMCA.
  6. Re:Anonymous Coward by fifedrum · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    an elephant's penis is prehensile

    now you know.

  7. Re:Anyone else... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

    Yeah but the video reminds me more of sandworms or other alien critters like that.

    --
    Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  8. Re:Anonymous Coward by fifedrum · · Score: 1

    that's not off topic, silly mod, the story is about a mechanical/pneumatic arm that's like an elephant's trunk, and it's also like an elephant's penis.

    sheesh.