SmartBird, Festo AG & Co. KG, Esslingen am Neckar, Germany

Aerodynamic SmartBird flight model

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SmartBird is an ultralight but powerful flight model with excellent aerodynamic qualities and extreme agility. With SmartBird, Festo has succeeded in deciphering the flight of birds - one of the oldest dreams of humankind.

This bionic technology-bearer, which is inspired by the herring gull, can start, fly and land autonomously -- with no additional drive mechanism. Its wings not only beat up and down, but also twist at specific angles. This is made possible by an active articulated torsional drive unit, which in combination with a complex control system attains an unprecedented level of efficiency in flight operation. Festo has thus succeeded for the first time in creating an energy-efficient technical adaptation of this model from nature.

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Just like in nature when a bird meets glass

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After filming various birds in flight using their super slow -motion cameras, Sam and Si head to Germany to film the incredibly realistic Smart Bird. A flying robot that mimics the real thing.

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Plenty of robots can fly -- but none can fly like a real bird. That is, until Markus Fischer and his team at Festo built SmartBird, a large, lightweight robot, modeled on a seagull, that flies by flapping its wings. A soaring demo fresh from TEDGlobal 2011.

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A demonstration of flying robotic jellyfish and other Bionic Learning Network creations from the masterful German automation company, Festo. This event is co-sponsored by one of Canada’s top engineering schools – the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary.

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Take a good look. This isn't a real bird. It's a "smart bird" relying on complex technologies.

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