1.
Pretensioning theelastic springelement
2.
Shifting the centreof gravity forwards
3.
Switching thevalves for takeoff
T
he further thekangaroo jumps,
themoreefficient itsenergy
consumption. This is thanks to its
unique jumpingmechanism. The
kangaroo canstore theenergy from
landing in itsstrongAchilles tendonand
re-use it for thenext jump. Thisenables it
to increase itsspeedwithout usingmore
energy. Thisprinciplehas fascinated the
Festobionicsexperts for a long time.
Twoyearsago, theygot thegreen light for
aBionic LearningNetworkproject aimed
at recreating thehighly complexnatural
sequencesof thekangaroo’s jumpas
realisticallyaspossible frombotha
mechanical andavisual perspective. This
wasa tough challenge for theproject
team ledbyEliasMariaKnubben,Headof
CorporateBionicProjectsat Festo. Aswith
other projectssuchas theBionicOpter
and theSmartBird, theonly thing thatwas
certainat thestart of theBionicKangaroo
projectwas thedeadline. Theexpertshad
tohave theproject completed in time for
theHannover Fair 2014.
Successfully cutting theumbilical cord
“There isnoguaranteeof success. All that
wehaveare clear requirements, ahighly
skilledandmotivated teamandacommon
goal,”saysEliasKnubben, describing the
conditionsat thestart of bionicsprojects.
Yet the teamof 12people, including
experts fromdifferent departments,
traineesandstudents, succeeded in
reaching their goal.
From functionalmodels inspiredbybiology
and initial detailed technological solutions
to thefinishedoverall concept – theproject
teammanaged toachieveaspectacular
feat. Stepbystep, theworldsof biology
and roboticswerebrought closer together.
Thenatural complexityof theoriginalwas
reproduced in fully functioningkinematics
withas fewdegreesof freedomas
possible. The“umbilical cord” that
initiallysupplied theenergy for the jumps
couldbe cut thanks to theuseof
lightweight, compact compressorsand
Developmental leap
BionicKangaroo: energyefficient kinematic jumpingmechanism
Reducing the complexityof nature
toasimple technical
denominator isoneof theobjectivesof the FestoBionic
LearningNetwork. The researchersanddesignengineers
haveonceagainsucceeded indoingso, this timewith the
BionicKangaroo. The innovativekinematicsdeveloped
over twoyearshasenabled theartificial kangaroo to jump
withoutstandingenergyefficiency.
Unique jumpingbehaviour:
intelligent combinationof the
integrated components for stableandefficient jumping
