With the BionicBee, the Bionic Learning Network has developed its first-ever object capable of flying autonomously and in large numbers as part of a swarm. The BionicBee is set to debut its inaugural flight show at Hannover Messe 2024.

  Like many other industries, dairy farming is under increasing pressure to become more efficient and more productive. A company at the forefront of automated milking systems, Fullwood Packo has partnered with Festo to deliver the flexibility and performance required in the modern dairy industry.

Team BRIT and MME Motorsport have developed a new hand control technology that enables disabled and able-bodied drivers to use the same car. Described as the world’s most technologically advanced hand controls, the system uses pneumatic technology donated by industrial automation specialist Festo to enable the steering, brakes, clutch, throttle and gears to be controlled using hands alone.

The car manufacturing industry is booming, with the demand for electric vehicles rising rapidly. This has had a knock-on effect on battery producers, as batteries – alongside the electric motor – are the heart of E-cars. The battery accounts for between roughly 30 and 40% of the value added in purely electric vehicles. Around the world, new factories are being built and vehicle manufacturers as well as battery producers are looki...

productronica provided the launch pad for Festo’s Motion Terminal VTEM which it says will catapult pneumatics into the era of Industry 4.0 ‒ with apps that can replace over 50 individual components. All this is made possible by the latest developments in piezo technology and software.

The electric vehicle trend is self-explanatory, with several countries and manufacturers looking to adopt electric and hybrid drive technologies for future car propulsion. Volvo for example has announced that it is switching from 100% reliance upon the internal combustion engine to electric based propulsion. 

Festo has come up with a bionic gripper, OctopusGripper. The company's focus areas include pneumatic, servopneumatic and electric automation technology and the Octopus Gripper is certainly drawing attention in the tech press. The name is quite apt. The gripper has been modeled on an octopus tentacle. Its advantage lies in its ability to grip softly but securely. What is more, the OctopusGripper can pick up and hold a variety of differen...

In many production applications, automation is employed to carry out tasks such as gripping, moving and positioning objects, and, in some cases, controlling and regulating whole processes. These are all tasks that are also routinely carried out in nature. Ten years ago, German automation company Festo set up the Bionic Learning Network to study and learn from these natural phenomena.

At this year’s PPMA Total Show, Festo will be showcasing new developments and solutions for the processing and packaging industry. In collaboration with Siemens, Festo will demonstrate the Multi-Carrier-System, a new linear motor track system which delivers a flexible and modular transport solution for industrial automation.