Name: Festo SmartBird
Brand: Festo Bionic Learning Network (Germany)

Festo Bionic Learning Network (Germany) Festo SmartBird (1)

Festo Bionic Learning Network (Germany) Festo SmartBird (2)

Not soldExhibition and research demonstrator only.

Not for sale (research)Not programmableHerring-gull ornithopterActive wing torsion1.96 m wingspan

Not soldShipping: Not sold. Never sold; Festo flies it at trade fairs and events.

Remote control: Not possible. A one-off Festo demonstrator flown by Festo's own team.

Wikipedia ↗Festo (German Wikipedia tech data) ↗

Overview

Unveiled at Hannover Messe in April 2011, SmartBird was the first widely publicized ornithopter that could take off, fly and land on its own flapping wings, with no extra propulsion. Its trick is an active torsion drive that twists each wing through the stroke so it generates both lift and thrust, modelled on a herring gull. It remains one of the most recognizable bio-inspired robots and was succeeded by the much smaller BionicSwift.

Specifications

Category	Flapping-wing fliers · Flapping-wing robots
Released	2011
Availability	Not for sale (research)
Programmability	No programmability
Best for	Professionals & labs
Vision sensors	No vision sensors
Actuators	Mixed
Audio	No audio
Compute type	Arduino / ESP32 / microcontroller
Remote control	Not programmable
Size	1.07 m body length, 1.96 m wingspan, 450 g
Locomotion	Flapping wings with actively twisted (torsion-controlled) outer wings; head and tail steer
Compute	Texas Instruments LM3S811 32-bit ARM microcontroller (50 MHz)
Camera	None
Sensors	3 Hall sensors for motor position, LIS302DLH accelerometer, battery voltage/current monitoring
Runtime	Not published (2-cell 450 mAh LiPo, 23 W electrical power)
Speed	Not published
SDK	None public; bidirectional ZigBee radio link (868 MHz/2.4 GHz) to a ground station