The Bionicum exhibit “customs detective” is enriching the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg since October, the 3rd. It is part of the new special exhibition: ‘Hello Nature. How do we want to live together?’ Well, what does that look like? See for yourself and try out whether you would make a good customs detective for species conservation. We are delighted that our serious game has found a place in this fantastic and comprehensive exhibition.

You might also stumble across a game on loan of the Tiergarten Nürnberg. Which one? We won’t tell… Find out for yourself.

More? https://www.gnm.de/ausstellungen/aktuell/hello-nature

Due to renovation work, the Bionicum at Nuremberg Zoo will have to temporarily close its exhibition starting from 7 October. The interactive exhibition on biomimetics is not accessible, but the Bionic Tour in the outdoor area of the zoo will still be available. Two new rallies offer biomimetic insights into the zoo.

The Bionicum has been an integral part of Nuremberg Zoo since summer 2014 and is open daily. Many visitors to the zoo also find their way to the Bionicum. Now the exhibition is closing its doors for a few weeks. This is due to renovation work on the ceiling and lighting, which also affects safety-related aspects such as fire protection. The public may also look forward to new exhibition contents such as evolution and biodiversity. ‘The exhibition as such, as well as the popular hands-on exhibits, will be retained. However, with the new areas, the Bionicum will be able to offer the public an expanded range of topics in a new splendour,’ explains the director, Dr Eva Gebauer. ‘Unfortunately, we will not be able to organise robot demonstrations during this time. However, our robot family is looking forward to their first real holiday since the opening’.

Educational institutions and interested parties will not have to do without the Bionicum during the renovation phase. In the summer, the popular Bionic Tour in the zoo was expanded with brand new stations and visitors can now experience the fascinating world of bionics at around twenty enclosures in the zoo. For example, if we want to cool down quickly and effectively on a hot summer’s day, a look at camel, kangaroo and co. will help. The thick fur of the camel insulates the animal from the heat. The unique interplay of sweat and fur is the key to camels staying cool. This also works for cooling systems, five times longer than conventional cooling systems and completely without electricity. At other stations, we learn about almost Olympic-calibre achievements in the animal kingdom. For example, the cheetah is the lone leader in sprinting and the kangaroo in the high jump and long jump. Owls fly whisper-quietly through the night, as bionic fans turn silently. Station by station, visitors playfully learn more about innovative technology and its role models in nature.

Visitors can search for bionic traces in the zoo on their own. Two different rally sheets are available at the zoo entrance and can be completed on your own. We also offer educational programmes for educational institutions in the outdoor area. And when the weather is nice, it’s always best to be surrounded by colourful autumn leaves.

A lot has happened since we last published the flyers. It was about time to bring some information up to date. Why not give it a completely new look?

Structured, colorful and playful. The blue Bionicum flyer and the red educational flyer reveal everything worth knowing when opened and unfold into decorative posters. There are colorful postcard-sized flyers for the individual workshops. Browse them the next time you visit the zoo!

If you would like us to send you flyers, please contact: info@bionicum.de

Three humanoid robots live in the Bionicum. The NAOs are from Paris, out of the workshops of the Aldebaran company. They find optimal living conditions in research laboratories and educational institutions. NAOs show us what already can be done with robotics to this day and what needs improvement. Getting up, walking and finding faces – NAOs come with that. The NAOs in the Bionicum have learned a bit more: they crack jokes, get you fit and hit the dancefloor. But watch out and don’t be fooled by their innocent looks. They can and will drive their colleagues crazy. And each robot has its own personality, so browse through.

The spider robot Ohm-crawler is at home in a burrow next door. Like its natural role model, the Mexican redknee spider, this robot has significantly more legs than its NAO colleagues. The ease with which the spider moves inspired the Nuremberg Institute of Technology Georg Simon Ohm and the Bionicum to build this innovative rescue robot.

Meet the robot family

Nao

Nao is the grand seigneur of the robot family and has been living in the Bionicum since 2014. He was the first robot in the zoo and is therefore simply called Nao.

For a long time, he worked the shows all by himself. He is highly appreciated by his human colleagues because of his reliable software.

However, the ravages of time are wearing on him. His joints are wearing out and the battery is running out of breath. Nevertheless, he’s got the gall to stick his nose into everything and has a taste for nonsense… especially when Nao is home alone (see auf YouTube).

Emma

Emma is an inquisitive researcher. She moved into the Bionicum in 2018 and was immediately welcomed into the team.

As a successor to Nao, she is sturdier, but sometimes a bit too reckless and tends to be a bit clumsy. Clearly visible scratches on her body bear evidence to that.

She is extremely inquisitive and is even more eager to exlore than Nao. For you, she has made several expeditions to the zoo and asked a lot of questions. Her exciting reports are available on our YouTube Channal.

Momo

Momo is the baby of the family and moved in at the beginning of 2023.

He takes a few liberties because he pays little to no attention to what he is told. This poses quite a challenge for the Bionicum team.

With a lot of patience and perseverance, we have managed to tame the unruly Momo to some extent. Now we can show you what he is capable of – at least when he feels like it. Then Momo is surprisingly adventurous and unstoppable. See for yourself on YouTube.

Ohm-Krabbler

The Ohm crawler lives in the burrow next to and in harmony with the NAO family. Here you can also see the Mexican redknee tarantula.

Both are less hyperactive than the NAOs and quite content where they are.

The Ohm crawler is a prototype and only gets a sniff of fresh air on very special occasions. But if you’re very lucky, you can see the tarantula outside on the hand of a zoo educator … and maybe even touch it yourself.

There is a new participatory exhibit in the Bionicum! Pupils from Johann-Pachelbel-Realschule have inaugurated it. Even more: they have made dioramas of forests, for which the 3D printer is gradually printing animal “inhabitants”. Thassilo Franke from the Munich Science Communication Lab presented a beautiful example from nature – a colorful nest of wasps. How does something like this come about and what does it have to do with the 3D printer? See for yourself at the Bionicum…

Die Maus sent Johannes to the Bionicum and the Nuremberg Zoo to find out why animals glow in the dark and how exactly they do it. Want to know more?

Here you can find Die Maus-story about Glowing animals

A few pictures from the filming:

Lost in thought, Lucy the cat gazes into the distance. What could be going through her mind? We accompanied Lucy on her wanderings through her vast territory in Nuremberg Zoo.

At the zoo, she meets kind-hearted people like Kerstin, who always has a place for Lucy on her desk. But the real adventures await outside: animals, visitors and zookeepers.

Where does she like to spend her time? Lucy decides that on a whim. There are many shady trees that are perfect for a nap or meditation – for example, about how many trees make a forest.

Follow Lucy’s paw prints on YouTube:

“What does a desert lizard have to do with solar power plants?”

A look at nature shows that imagination and ingenuity are not unique to us humans. In the course of evolution, animals and plants have developed structures, processes and constructions that make them optimally adapted to their habitat.

Bionics makes use of the biological pool of ideas and implements these developments technically. But how important are such technical innovations for the development of society, how are they promoted, and what role do start-up companies and the political framework play in this?

These and many other questions were answered by Dr. Eva Gebauer and Prof. Stephan Seiter at the Webtalk with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. Many thanks to to Nicole Köster for the great moderation! ♥

For home schooling and digital learning, the Bionicum offers numerous online services. Have fun browsing.

Hunt for bionic traces on your own in the zoo. Well, we have a few tips for you. All offers are free of charge, but at the moment German only.