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.
Permanent Exhibition
In our interactive exhibition in the Bionicum, everyone can become a researcher. The exhibition looks at different exciting topics from the field of bionics. Come and discover the amazing technologies that nature has for us humans.
Topics of the permanent exhibition
Sturdy and light: that is how nature builds
Shapes of branches or bones do not develop randomly in nature. They are designed to withstand stresses as optimally as possible. As a material, nature uses the composite of fibers and filler.
It’s the skin that does it
The surfaces of animals and plants have amazing properties. The sandfish has scales that cannot be scratched, while the thorny devil can drink from damp sand without getting hurt.
Many species, many ideas
The idea of bionics comes from the fact that there are many different types of animals on our planet – the biodiversity. The example of the eyes shows why there are so many different types in the animal kingdom. This diversity is very useful to humans and inspires many new ideas.
In best form as if by magic
Rodents always have sharp teeth, even if they gnaw on hard things every day. How do they do it? Nature provides materials that sharpen, repair and rebuild themselves.
What do robots learn from people and animals?
Animals are used as models for the way modern robots work. But current technology can’t match the properties of muscles and tendons. A good way to understand this is to compare a spider and a robot.
Small particles, big effect
The gecko can stick to the wall by ensuring skin contact between molecules. This knowledge is used in modern bionics and is also making inroads into the field of nanotechnology.
Light provides energy and creates electricity
Nature shows us how we can live in the future. It provides energy according to different types of plants, provides shade like the bird of paradise flower and creates ventilation like that seen in prairie dogs and termites.
The ants are very clever when it comes to planning their routes. They are so good at this that we can learn a lot from them. This is how modern logistics companies plan their routes.
As well as the exciting permanent exhibition, the Bionicum has special exhibitions that change regularly. These exhibitions are only on for a limited time, but they always provide new insights and discoveries.
Nature is full of colours – from soft nuances to magnificent tones. Not all of them are based on pigments. Some colour impressions are caused by the structure of the surface. Depending on the incidence of light, iridescent colour effects are created.
Luminous butterflies and dazzling beetles also inspired the Augsburg photographer Thomas Büchsemann to take razor-sharp macro pictures. This requires a good eye and a good dose of inventiveness.
In the special exhibition at the Bionicum you find out how many individual steps are necessary for one single photograph. At the same time you observe the fascinating insects up close. Try out how iridescent colors are created in nature and how such surfaces can be produced in the laboratory.
Made possible with materials from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the Bavarian Natural History Collections (SNSB).
The FAU has even made a short video for the special exhibition. Take a look and try it out at the Bionicum.
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Bionik to the Future – a time travel to Nuremberg in 2050
What will our future look like? The Bionicum dares a thought experiment and travels to the year 2050. How are internet cables connected to spider silk or robot arms to owls’ necks? A journey through time reveals the secrets of technical developments based on nature’s models. The special exhibition Bionik to the Future shows how bionik research will make life in the future more environmentally friendly and easier.
The BayBionik project, funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection, joined five Bavarian universities to carry out bionik research. Their mission: to use models from nature to develop resource-saving and biologically compatible technologies.
Stinky, rotten, slimy: That’s pretty disgusting! All over the world, people contort their faces in disgust. Even the evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin recognized this violent reaction as an innate instinct. Yet engaging with the revolting also provides a special thrill, whether it’s petting creepy-crawlies or examining lice under the magnifying glass. The special exhibition at the Bionicum explored the world of disgust between exotic delicacies and fascinating creatures. There is hidden beauty to be discovered in the supposedly disgusting.
Speechless – by no means
Barking fish, waving frogs and glowing worms: Animals communicate in many ways. In addition to sounds, they use scents, colors and even electrical signals to communicate and orient themselves. We humans can learn a lot from this – and develop animal sensors, warning systems and antennas. The special exhibition at the Bionicum in the zoo showed exactly how this works.
Nature meets architecture
Snails and mussels are specialists in mobile living. Birds build sophisticated nests and prairie dogs perfectly ventilated burrows. Grass stems, bamboo or beech trees also impress with their construction: No storm will bend them over so easily. So it’s no wonder that architects are inspired by nature’s ingenious construction plans. The special exhibition at the Bionicum presented the results.
Nature rich in species
Biodiversity is often only perceived in the context of species conservation and climate conferences. However, it is the basis for securing the world’s food supply, for new medicines, for technical progress and much more. The special exhibition Species Rich Nature at the Bionicum shows everything that is hidden behind this term and what influence humans have on it.
