So that its movements come as close as possible to its biological role model, the AirJelly has eight adaptive tentacles. These absorb the force of the electric drive and allow the artificial jellyfish to float using the recoil principle. Unlike its natural counterpart, however, the AirJelly does not float through the water but through the air.
The AirJelly is truly lightweight: with a diameter of 1.35 metres and a height of 2.20 metres, the flying object weighs only 1.3 kilograms. Besides the central electric drive, the body also contains the rechargeable batteries and a ballonet filled with helium to provide the necessary uplift. Their motion in three-dimensional space is controlled by shifting the weight. When this is combined with the peristaltic drive system, the remote-controlled jellyfish can float in any direction.
When designing the eight tentacles, our developers used a natural mechanism of action: the Fin Ray Effect®. Each tentacle consists of an alternating tension and compression flank, which are articulated with ribs. If a flank is put under pressure, the geometric structure automatically bends against the direction of the applied force. This enables the flying jellyfish to move through the air using the recoil principle of its biological role model.
This was a real highlight for our Bionic Learning Network, as a peristaltic drive like this had never been seen in the history of aviation.