| | |

Festo’s Bionic Flower – A Bionically Inspired Robot Teaching Aid

December 14, 2020

Festo is renowned for its bionic creatures – robotic fauna that fly, crawl, scamper or swim and point the way to possible commercial developments that mimic actions in nature. Now, Festo Didactic, the leader in basic and advanced training solutions for industry, has unveiled the Bionic Flower, a construction kit for today’s young STEM students inspired by the world of flora.

Festo Didactic developed Bionic Flower in cooperation with SkySpirit, basing it on models of mimosa plants and water lilies. The Bionic Flower opens and closes its petals as a reaction to external influences such as touch, proximity or light. These mechanisms can be discovered by pupils using sensors and control technology integrated in the Bionic Flower. The design, as well as the transfer of principles from the plant world, encompasses multiple curriculum topics in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. The topic of biodiversity can also be discussed in class.

One Bionic Flower can be used by up to three students aged 10 and over. The petals contain the first bionic topic: the folding technique. The petals gain the necessary mechanical stiffness by folding. The mechanism for opening and closing the petals is electrically actuated with a stepper motor which opens and closes the petals one by one. The movement and the light effects are controlled via Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones, tablets or PCs. If required, the microcontroller can be programmed with the graphic coding interface “Open Roberta”. Experienced students can also program their Bionic Flower in C++. The code is open source. In addition to assembling the Bionic Flower, students can customize and expand on the Bionic Flower by using 3D printers, other materials, hardware and software.

Accompanying teaching material, as well as the assembly manual, can be downloaded free of charge.

With the Bionic Flower, students learn different aspects of STEM in a digital, creative and interdisciplinary way. Working with the device promotes the educational 4Cs –collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity – to prepare learners for the digital world of tomorrow.

For more information, visit www.festo.com.

Related Articles


Latest Articles

  • How Omron’s VHV5 is Making High-Performance Barcode Reading Effortless

    July 10, 2025 Omron’s new VHV5 Ultra-High Performance Barcode Reader is designed for barcode reading applications in industries like automotive, food packaging, and logistics. It offers unparalleled ease of use, automated intelligent setup, and superior performance. Ease of Use One of the standout features of the VHV5 is its user-friendly design. The reader simplifies the… Read More…

  • MOXA Next-Generation LAN Firewalls: Enhancing Industrial Security and Reliability

    July 7, 2025 Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure have become an all-too-familiar reality. While no longer shocking headline news, their effects are far-reaching, disrupting essential services that people and organizations rely on daily. From power grids to transportation systems and water treatment facilities, these infrastructures are at the heart of modern life and are highly vulnerable… Read More…


Featured Article

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

In today’s fast-paced manufacturing and logistics industries, the need for efficient and flexible material movement solutions has never been greater. Traditional methods like conveyor systems, forklifts, and manual pushcarts have served us well, but they come with limitations.

That’s why Omron is thrilled to announce the launch of their game-changing MD Series of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). Read more


Products

  • mGuard Secure Cloud Version 3.1 is Released from Phoenix Contact

    July 10, 2025 The mGuard Secure Cloud from Phoenix Contact allows secure remote access to machines and systems worldwide. Version 3.1 is now available with immediate effect. This version of mGuard comes with numerous new features, including China VPN+, which enables reliable and officially approved VPN connections to China. The new version also supports additional router… Read More…

  • SEW-EURODRIVE Now Offers GearOil by SEW-EURODRIVE in Heavy Industry Gear Units

    July 9, 2025 Optimized Lubrication—Engineered by SEW-EURODRIVE, Now Available for Many Large Industrial Drive Applications SEW-EURODRIVE is proud to announce that GearOil by SEW-EURODRIVE is now available as an option with its heavy industry gear units. This synthetic lubricant, formulated and tested by SEW-EURODRIVE engineers specifically for SEW-EURODRIVE gear geometries and thermal loads, is now offered as part… Read More…