Even if it sometimes seems so, bionics is by no means a new science. People have always been inspired by nature to find solutions that are as simple as they are practical and adaptable. It is precisely with this goal in mind that FESTO's bionics researchers are researching appropriate solutions and regularly present impressive results. Like the latest version of the bionic research tool BionicMobileAssistant. The BionicMobileAssistant, developed in collaboration with ETH Zurich, consists of three subsystems: a mobile robot, an electric robot arm and the BionicSoftHand 2.0, a pneumatic gripper inspired by the human hand. The BionicMobileAssistant is able to move autonomously in space and independently recognise objects, grip adaptively and work together with the human hand. A neural network, which is trained in advance with the aid of data augmentation, ensures the processing of the recorded information.

With its properties, the BionicMobileAssistant should be predestined as a direct human assistant, for example as a service robot, as a helping hand in assembly or to support workers in ergonomically demanding or monotonous work. It would also be conceivable to use it in environments in which people cannot work themselves, for example due to hazards or limited accessibility. Thanks to its modular concept, the BionicSoftHand 2.0 can also be easily mounted and commissioned on other robot arms. In combination with the BionicCobot or the BionicSoftArm, also from FESTO, the gripper forms a completely pneumatic robot system, for example, which is intended to work hand in hand with humans due to its inherent flexibility.

FESTO SE & Co. KG (73734 Esslingen, Germany)
Website: www.festo.com