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Festo's Extraordinary Robots That Mimic Biology II: Bionic Learning Network
Nature is our best engineer, and the finest robots are the ones that mimic it. Festo, a multinational robotics firm based in Germany, has made some of the most amazing biologically inspired robots out there. In one of our previous posts, "Festo's Extraordinary Robots That Mimic Biology I", you have seen air-penguins and mechanical elephant-arms but these are just few of Festo creations. In these videos, the air-ray, the bionic air-fish, the aqua-jelly, and more are shown. Festo is one of the world leaders in automation, with millions of parts installed in factories all over the globe. Their animal inspired robots are created by the efforts of their Bionic Learning Network. This collection of research groups from academia and industry is part advanced research initiative, part education organization. Festo is a German industrial control and automation company based in Esslingen, Germany. Festo is an engineering driven company that sells pneumatic and electric actuators primarily to the automation industry.
New fuel cell technology could change the future of power generation
Phillips 66 is developing a natural gas fuel cell that could power homes and businesses.
Next-Generation Polymer for Automotive Applications
To overcome the negative effects of solvents, GVD created a “dry” process for applying polymers.
Sensor Detects Cable Fire Before It Starts
The sensor could be used to improve the safety of cable ducts or to detect toxic mold gases during food control, explosive gases in fertilizer silos or leaks in gas pipelines.
The igus linear bearing tool kit
DryLin W linear rails and guides are most often recommended by igus sales engineers when they're assisting customers with new designs. The combination of flexibility, long life and low cost are the driving factors behind this system's success.
Chaotic Motion Device Aims for Scalability, Portability
A UK firm developed a device to provide power from a few watts to hundreds of kilowatts depending on the scale of the motion source.
Infrared Laser Used to Cool Water
The cooling technology might be used to enable higher-power lasers for manufacturing, telecommunications or defense applications, as these lasers sometimes overheat and melt.
Finland Approves Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility
The facility's capacity is 6,500 metric tons of spent fuel, which will come from Finland's two nuclear plants, the Olkiluoto plant and one in Loviisa.
Ingestible Device That Monitors Vital Signs
Sensor calculates heart and breathing rates from the distinctive sound waves produced by the beating of the heart and the inhalation and exhalation of the lungs.
Ingestible Device That Monitors Vital Signs
Researchers at MIT have developed an ingestible sensor that measures heart and respiratory rates from within the gastrointestinal tract.
Methane Cracking Generates Energy Without CO2 Emissions
Cracking" methane involves separating it into its molecular components, hydrogen and carbon, without releasing potentially harmful emissions.
Healthcare IT: Managing Care Through Technology Innovation
Medical human capital management discussion with Courtney Green and Sue Schodorf from OhioHealth.
Tech Platform Aims to Help Manage Germany's Energy Transition
Renewables' share of Germany's electricity production over the past 15 years has risen from 5% to over 26% in 2014.
Biomaterial Could Aid Bone Grafting in Cancer Patients
The material serves as a biodegradable scaffold that can be surgically implanted in the body to trigger bone regeneration at the cellular level.
"PoWiFi" Could Power the Internet of Things
In their proof-of-concept experiments, the team demonstrated that the PoWiFi system could wirelessly power a grayscale, low-power Omnivision VGA camera from 17 feet away.
Race Is Underway to Develop Alloys to Meet EPA Targets
High-efficiency turbocharged engines will require a material that is 25% stronger than current alloys and durable at temperatures 50 °C higher.
SpaceX Mission to ISS Planned for 2017
Commercial crew launches will reduce the per-seat cost of transporting astronauts to the space station.
Smartphone Functionality for Eyeglasses?
The technology is based on lightguide optics, which enables the manufacture of displays on either glass or plastic in the form of light elements with a thickness of just one millimeter.
Printable Lightweight Thermal Sensor Developed
The sensor shows a change in electrical resistance up to 100,000 times over a range of 5 degrees centigrade.
Organic Electronics Integrated into Plants
Using organic electronics, it is possible to combine electric signals with a plant’s own.