2 Absolute novelty: the adaptive propeller of the ultralight flying objects The most modern infrared technology: exact positioning of the spheres Flying objects with bionic drive – individual and collective The eight white spheres fly in all directions above the heads of those watching, before the random movements develop into an organised formation, first making a circle and then a figure of eight. Suddenly, one of the spheres detaches itself and the others follow it like pearls on a string. The perfect line turns into a sine curve in the air until the spheres form a circle again. The flight manoeuvres at a ceiling height of three to six metres are part of an elaborate choreographed sequence, which Festo presents under the name eMotionSpheres. Unique and highly efficient drive system Each of the eight spheres has a diameter of 95 cm and is filled with helium. They are each driven by eight small propellers, which are attached to their outer shell. The drives are adaptive and supply the same efficient thrust in both a forward and reverse direction, thus representing something totally new when it comes to flying objects. Together with the camera system and an intelligent control system, they are capable of the widest range of flight man- oeuvres – even without human pilots. Indoor GPS for exact localisation Festo uses the installation to show a guidance and monitoring system, as could be applied in the networked factory of the future. Ten infrared cameras installed in the room record the spheres via their active markers (four infrared LEDs) and pass on the position data to a main computer. On the computer there are preprogrammed paths, which specify the spheres’ flight paths when flying in formation. Thanks to additionally stored behaviour patterns, the spheres can however also move autonomously through the space. There are no collisions even in chaotic situations as they move out of each other’s way. The spheres can also be controlled individually by people and, because of their process reliability, consistent lightweight design and flexible propellers, they are not dangerous. The knowledge gained from the work on the BionicOpter went into the design of the adaptive propellers. The developers pursued the wing principle on the artificial dragonfly and transferred it to the unique drives used by the spheres.
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