27 April 2008

Jellyfish robot: AquaJelly & AirJelly



Festo, has developed a graceful robot inspired by a creature of the sea. In fact, they have developed two versions, both based on the common jellyfish: the AquaJelly and the AirJelly. According to Festo, the AquaJelly is "an artificial autonomous jellyfish with an electric drive and an intelligent, adaptive mechanical system." Apparently the idea is to have several of the robots autonomously working together using a communication system composed of Zigbee short-range radio on the surface and LEDs when underwater.

As for the AirJelly, this remote controlled device can glide through the air using a helium-filled ballonet, a central electric drive and an intelligent, adaptive mechanical system. Apparently, this design offers "fascinating possibilities for "lighter-than-air" aviation." I'm not sure about all of that, but I can at see how the technology behind the AquaJelly could have some practical application on complex underwater projects.

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