What can we learn from nature? What skills from the animal world can be used for industrial applications? We have been dealing with these questions in the Bionic Learning Network for years. In association with universities, institutes and development companies, we are developing research platforms whose basic technical principles are based on nature. A recurring theme here is the unique movements and functions of the elephant's trunk.
With the Bionic Handling Assistant (2010), the BionicMotionRobot (2017) and the BionicSoftArm (2019), a series of lightweight pneumatic robot arms has emerged over time. With their flexible bellows structures, they can all effortlessly implement the flowing motion sequences of the natural model. As they evolved, bionic concepts became more compact, smaller in size and quicker to put into operation.
For the filigree Bionic E-Trunk, our developers, in cooperation with the Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology in Saarbrücken, have taken the idea of miniaturization further and for the first time implemented the natural forms of motion electrically driven.
The Bionic E-Trunk is made up of two 140 millimeter long segments with a tapered diameter. In its center runs a structure of 3D-printed material and a superelastic rod for longitudinal stabilization. Thin wires made of a special metallic material, a so-called shape memory alloy, are arranged around this center, which resembles a spinal column.