Great leaps in bionics: Festo creates artificial Kangaroo

Solutions from nature enable new industrial applications

As part of the Bionic Learning Networks, Festo AG, a specialist for factory and process automation, realized a remarkable project: A robot that not just looks like a Kangaroo but also moves like one.

Challenge for engineers contains precious lections for industrial application

At a first glance, the connection between process automation and Kangaroo jumps isn't particularly obvious. But if you look closer you quickly realize the potential the Festo developers have recognized: Kangaroos reclaim much of the invested energy from their jumps, making their locomotion extremely efficient. Energy recovery is also an important topic for industrial automation. In addition, the jump drive combines electrical motors, pneumatic actuators as well as sophisticated controls and sensors - sectors that are all essential in automation.

Precise models and efficient part usage with the Festo PARTdataManager

The Kangaroo is not the first artificial animal Festo has developed. The company from Esslingen, Germany developed among other things a mechanical dragonfly BionicOpter and the SmartBird, which both have the natural flying abilities of their role models. To realize this feat, all implemented Festo-parts have to be optimally integrated. This presupposes an especially precise planning within the CAD modeling. Festo achieves this through the application of the Festo PARTdataManager, based on the Strategic Parts Management PARTsolutions by CADENAS. With this software solution, developers can access easily and quickly 2D and 3D Data of 32.000 Festo products in millions of variants. Through regular online updates, the CAD models are kept constantly up to date. Through regular online Updates. The PARTdataManager enables users to find components fast and comfortable and to export them in many different neutral CAD formats that can be used in almost every CAD system.

More Information on Parts Management solutions by CADENAS can be found at: www.cadenas.de/strategic-partsmanagement