Not soldResearch demonstrator, unveiled by Festo in March 2015 alongside the BionicANTs.
Not for sale (research)Not programmableRobotic butterfly swarmIndoor GPS via IR camerasUltralight
Not soldShipping: Not sold. Never sold.
Remote control: Not possible. The swarm is coordinated by Festo's own camera-based indoor GPS system.
Overview
A swarm of ultralight robotic butterflies that fly together in a defined indoor airspace. Ten infrared cameras detect two markers on each butterfly's wings and a central master computer coordinates the flock, a demonstration Festo framed as a model for networked factory guidance systems. It built on the BionicOpter and eMotionSpheres projects.
Specifications
| Category | Flapping-wing fliers · Flapping-wing robots |
|---|---|
| Released | 2015 |
| Availability | Not for sale (research) |
| Programmability | No programmability |
| Best for | Professionals & labs |
| Vision sensors | No vision sensors |
| Actuators | Unknown |
| Audio | No audio |
| Compute type | Arduino / ESP32 / microcontroller, Laptop / PC as the brain |
| Remote control | Not programmable |
| Size | 50 cm wingspan, 32 g |
| Locomotion | Two flapping wings |
| Compute | Small on-board controller driving two wing servos; flight paths coordinated by an external master computer |
| Camera | None on board; 10 external infrared cameras track the swarm |
| Sensors | IMU (accelerometer, gyro, compass); two active infrared beacons for external tracking |
| Runtime | 3–4 min per flight; about 15 min recharge (two 90 mAh LiPo cells) |
| Speed | Up to 2.5 m/s; 1–2 wingbeats per second |
| SDK | None public |
Ratings & reviews
Ratings and reviews load on the live site.
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