|
水母是种优美的动物，感觉它就像是水里的轻絮。可能正是受水母的启发，在德国举行的Hannover Messe2008大会上，Festo展示了一种独特的空中水母，它可以轻盈地浮在空中：
由于官方资料是德文，我看不懂，所以还不清楚这种浮空水母的作用是什么。但至少从这段视频看起来，这只水母和在水里一样，都十分好看。
AirJelly
Luft ist das Element von AirJelly. Die ferngesteuerte Qualle AirJelly schwimmt nicht durch Wasser wie AquaJelly, sondern gleitet f?rmlich dank ihres zentralen elektrischen Antriebs und einer intelligenten, adaptiven Mechanik durch das Luftmeer. Denn AirJelly besteht aus einem mit Helium gefüllten Ballonett.
Als einzige Energiequelle dienen AirJelly zwei Lithium-Ionen-Polymer-Akkus, an die der zentrale elektrische Antrieb angeschlossen ist. Dieser übertr?gt die Kraft auf ein Kegelrad und anschlie?end nacheinander auf acht Stirnr?der, die über Kurbeln die acht Tentakel der Qualle bewegen. Jedes Tentakel ist als Struktur mit dem Fin Ray Effect? ausgebildet. Der Antrieb eines Ballons durch eine peristaltische Bewegung ist bis jetzt in der Luftfahrtgeschichte nicht bekannt. AirJelly ist das erste Indoor-Flugobjekt mit peristaltischem Antrieb. Die Qualle bewegt sich dank dieses neuen Antriebskonzepts, ihres auf dem Rücksto?prinzip basierenden Antriebs, sanft durch die Luft.
================================================================================================
ENGLISHI VERSION:
|
An airborne jellyfish with electric drive unit
|
|
Glides through the air by peristaltic motion
|
|
Can the jellyfish’s motion through water serve as a propulsion prin-ciple for an airborne object? In other words, is it possible to glide through the air as a jellyfish swims through water? These were the considerations that gave rise to the development of AirJelly.
|
|
The history of aviation has been aware of the analogy between the media of water and air ever since the first gas balloon flights of Jacques Alexandre César Charles, who on 1st December 1783 set off from Paris on the first ever manned gas balloon journey together with Noel Robert. The gondola of the “Charlière” was designed in the form of a ship’s hull. The balloon of the French aviator Jean Pierre Fran?ois Blanchard, who crossed the English Channel from Dover to Calais together with Dr. John Jeffries on 7th January 1785, also used a gondola in the form of a ship’s hull.
|
|
It is therefore all the more surprising that this analogy from a by-gone era has not provided inspiration for adapting the propulsion mechanisms of marine creatures for drive units in the aviation sec-tor. In 2005, the Swiss Materials Science & Technology Development (EMPA) in Dübendorf near Zurich presented a concept in which the balloon of an airship was to be covered with electro-active polymer foils. The airship was to float in the sea of air like a fish in water. This airship has since been fitted with elevators and rudders actuat-ed with electro-active polymer foils.
|
|
Seeking recourse to jellyfish as a source of inspiration for powering gas-filled balloons is an obvious thought; after all, a jellyfish con-sists of water to 99%. Its weight-to-volume ratio is approximately 1, and the figure is similar for a gas-filled balloon. Jellyfish fossil finds indicate an ability to survive dating back more than 500 million years. Jellyfish have thus repeatedly adapted to various environmen-tal and living conditions and have become veritable survival artists; the diversity of jellyfish species suggests a high degree of adapta-bility.
|
|
AirJelly is a remote radio-controlled airborne jellyfish with a central electric drive unit and an intelligent adaptive mechanism.
|
|
AirJelly consists of a helium-filled ballonett with a diameter of 1.35 meters. This yields a filling volume of 1.3 cubic meters of helium. Since one cubic meter of helium provides buoyancy to lift appro-ximately one kilogram, the total weight of AirJelly, comprising its ballonett and all ancillary components, must amount to no more than 1.3 kilograms.
|
|
AirJelly houses two lithium-ion polymer accumulator batteries rated at 8 V and 400 mA, which can be completely charged in half an hour and are AirJelly’s sole source of power. A connected central electric drive unit transmits the force to a bevel gear wheel and
|
|
then to eight spur gears in sequence. These gears power eight shafts, each of which activates a crank; these in turn move the jel-lyfish’s eight tentacles. Each tentacle is designed as a structure with Fin Ray Effect? – a construction derived from the functional anatomy of a fish’s fin. The actual structure consists of two alterna-ting tension and pressure flanks movably connected by ribs. If a flank is subjected to pressure, the geometrical structure automati-cally bends in the direction of the applied force. Together, the tenta-cles produce a peristaltic forward motion similar to that of their biological model.
|
|
Controlling AirJelly’s motion in three-dimensional space is effected by weight displacement. For this purpose, a pendulum is set in motion by two actuators in the X and Y directions. The actuators are positioned at the jellyfish’s “north pole” and are proportionally controlled. The pendulum is 55 centimetres long. AirJelly’s centre of mass is displaced in the direction of the pendulum’s motion; the jellyfish then moves in the same direction. By means of this peri-staltic forward motion, AirJelly can move in any spatial direction.
|
|
Propulsion of a ballonett by means of peristaltic motion is as yet unknown in the history of aviation. AirJelly is thus the first indoor flight object with peristaltic drive. Observation of models from nature gave rise to this new propulsion concept for the airborne jellyfish.
|
|
With this exhibit, Festo is demonstrating that a central electric drive unit in combination with an intelligent mechanism opens up fascinating opportunities in propulsion systems for lighter-than-air flight. Both in automation and in didactics, Festo sets out to gene-rate enthusiasm among its customers with innovative, fascinating and intelligent solutions; it therefore offers a wide range of electric, pneumatic and hybrid drive units, along with the appropriate sen-sor systems, control and regulating components.
|
|
Technical data
|
|
Diameter:
|
1.35 m
|
|
Height:
|
2.20 m
|
|
Total weight:
|
1.3 kg
|
|
Propulsion:
|
coreless motor, 3 V
|
|
Reduction ratio:
|
262:1
|
|
Power supply:
|
lithium-ion polymer accumulator
|
|
|
batteries; 8 V and 400 mA
|
|
|
Project initiator: Dr. Wilfried Stoll, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Festo AG
|
|
Project team: Rainer and Günther Mugrauer, Effekt-Technik GmbH, Schlaitdorf, Germany
|
|
Project manager: Markus Fischer, Corporate Design Festo AG & Co. KG
|
|
Graphic design: Atelier Frank, Berlin, Germany
|
|
Photos: Walter Fogel, Angelbachtal, Germany
|
|
Brand designation: Fin Ray Effect? is a brand of Evologics GmbH, Berlin, Germany
|
|
Corporate Design Rechbergstra?e 3 73770 Denkendorf Germany www./de/bionic Phone +49/7 11/347-38 80 Fax +49/7 11/347-38 99 fish@de.
|
|
