Flying penguins!

OP - April 22, 2009, 08:18 AM

This is a world first: a penguin that flies. dance

Ok, so it's not a real penguin but it looks bizarre anyway. It also has smaller brothers and sisters that swim like you would expect penguins to do, although they are rather slow.

Bionic penguins take to the water - and the skies

The graceful robotic penguins in the video above were unveiled by German engineering firm Festo this week.

Using their flippers, the mechanical penguins can paddle through water just like real ones, while larger helium-filled designs can "swim" through the air. The penguins are on show at the Hannover Messe Trade Exhibition in Germany.

Each penguin carries 3D sonar developed by EvoLogics in Berlin, Germany, which is used to monitor its surroundings and avoid collisions with walls or other penguins.

The bionic penguins can twist and turn almost as gracefully as their living counterparts because of the flexible glass fibre rods that control their heads.

The fibres are arranged around the side of each penguin's head, while motors inside the body pull on one or more of them to twist the penguin's neck in any direction and guide the swimmer, says Markus Fischer, who heads Festo's corporate design team.

That design has industrial applications, says Fischer. It has been adapted by Festo to make a flexible, trunk-like arm with a gripper on the end for use in industrial applications. The arm can twist up to 90⁰ in any direction, giving it an unrivalled degree of dexterity.

Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny

Re: Flying penguins!

Reply #2 - April 22, 2009, 08:53 AM

Good idea, but I don't know if there is one. I know you can get a flying pig. I did like the robotic flying penguin though. Imagine painting it up to look real and then flying it through town. Grin

Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny

Re: Flying penguins!

Reply #4 - April 22, 2009, 09:09 AM

This is the best penguin emoticon I could find. He's kinda cool:

ETA: Here's another moderately cool penguin:

I chose to get circumcised at 17, don't tell me I never believed.

Re: Flying penguins!

Reply #6 - April 22, 2009, 02:05 PM

"Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name!"
- Emma Goldman

Re: Flying penguins!

Reply #8 - April 22, 2009, 08:12 PM

"Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name!"
- Emma Goldman

Re: Flying penguins!

Reply #10 - April 23, 2009, 01:48 PM

Wonder if it will kill any predator that will go for that nice fat morcel. I do not think fiber rods are very digestable.

"Ask the slave girl; she will tell you the truth.' So the Apostle called Burayra to ask her. Ali got up and gave her a violent beating first, saying, 'Tell the Apostle the truth.'"

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Topic: Flying penguins!

osmanthus

OP - April 22, 2009, 08:18 AM

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Reply #1 - April 22, 2009, 08:43 AM

osmanthus

Reply #2 - April 22, 2009, 08:53 AM

awais

Reply #3 - April 22, 2009, 09:03 AM

awais

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osmanthus

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Reply #9 - April 23, 2009, 02:38 AM

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osmanthus

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