TECHNOLOGY Scientists at the automation-technology company Festo have developed a new type of robotic arm in cooperation with the Fraunhofer
Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in Germany. They were inspired by the elephant’s trunk, which — because of its 40,000 muscle fibers — is one of the strongest, most flexible, mobile and precise grasping organs in the natural world. The robotic trunk is made of polyamide, which allows it to be soft and flexible like its model. Known as the Bionic Handling Assistant, the device can carry out many different industry-, agricultural- or home-related tasks, representatives at Festo say. The trunk moves when compressed air fills or empties a large number of ring-shaped chambers, with pressure varying depending on the situation and the task. The three “fingers” of the robotic arm adjust their shape for each object they grip.