Design competition:
Principle to Product
To investigate the phenomenon of
inversion in greater depth, the
Festo Bionic Learning Network and
the German Design Council have
initiated a nationwide design
competition. The Festo Challenge:
Principle to Product is looking for
creative ideas for the functional
application of inversion in indus-
trial environments.
The competition has a prize fund
totalling more than 30,000 euros
and is open to design and engineer-
ing students.
The winning idea will be imple-
mented in cooperation with Festo
and presented at the 2013
Hanover Trade Fair.
For more information, see
www.festo.com/bionic
motion phase in question. At certain
times, SmartInversion moves the servo
motors in the opposite direction. Motion
is based on a mathematical model of
the geometrical band, which is stored
in the on-board unit. This guarantees
inversion without a dead centre, which
means that the inversion process can be
initiated at any point. While SmartInver-
sion is in motion, the battery charge and
current consumption are continuously
recorded and monitored in real time via
a condition monitoring system tailored
to the requirements of SmartInversion.
Ideas without limits
With its Future Concepts, Festo is con-
stantly seeking out new approaches in
the field of drive, control and gripping
technology. Natural principles, artistic
input and mathematical processes
provide new impulses for industrial
application. With the SmartInversion
Future Concept, engineers and designers
are now investigating where and how
inversion can be put to use in technol-
ogy. Festo has broken new ground with
the realisation of the inversion drive in
the form of SmartInversion. By pushing
the boundaries of what is technically
feasible, the developers are constantly
discovering new potential for the future
use of innovative technologies.
www.festo.com/en/smartinversion
2.2012
trends in automation
Compass
14
–
15