| | | | |

Festo BionicBee

May 2, 2024

The BionicBee is small, ultra-light and can fly autonomously in a swarm thanks to an indoor localisation system with ultra-wideband technology.

For more than 15 years, the Bionic Learning Network has been focusing on the fascination of flying. In addition to the technical decoding of bird flight, the team has researched and technologically implemented numerous other flying objects and their natural principles.

With the BionicBee, the Bionic Learning Network has now for the first time developed a flying object that can fly in large numbers and completely autonomously in a swarm. The BionicBee will present its first flight show at the Hannover Messe 2024.

More Information

Festo

Related Story

BionicBee: Autonomous Flying in a Swarm
Festo BionicBee

At around 34 grams, a length of 220 millimetres and a wingspan of 240 millimetres, the BionicBee is the smallest flying object created by the Bionic Learning Network to date. For the first time, the developers used the method of generative design: after entering just a few parameters, a software application uses defined design principles to find the optimal structure to use as little material as necessary while maintaining the most stable construction possible. This consistent lightweight construction is essential for good manoeuvrability and flying time.

Related Articles

Editor’s Pick: Featured Article

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s scalable engineering software, u-control 2000, adapts individually to your requirements. And, the u-control is powerful, compact and fully compatible with Weidmüller’s I/O system u-remote. This article looks at what makes u-control the heart of your automation.

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are one of the main components of any automated system. A typical control system has inputs, outputs, controllers (i.e., PLCs), and some type of human interaction with the system, a human machine interface (HMI), for example.

Read More

Latest Articles

  • Teaching Machines to See: Why Sensor Fusion Demands a System-Level Approach

    March 16, 2026 By David Doria, Director of Engineering, Automated Driving, Magna Electronics, March 16, 2026 For years, progress in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) were driven by improving individual sensors. Higher resolution cameras. Longer-range radars. More precise lidars. Each step delivered incremental gains. But optimizing sensors in isolation only goes so far. As ADAS Read More…

  • Vention Raises the Bar for Automating Automation with New Funding and Solutions

    March 9, 2026 By Krystie Johnston Vention accelerates democratization of automation with new funding and GRIIPTM, sets sites on Enterprise clients, reaches more industries and geographies Vention is on a journey to democratize automation, and they are picking up speed. Already, in Q1 of 2026, they have made two announcements that will accelerate their trajectory Read More…