Hannover, Germany  (Sunday控制工程网版权所有, April 19) – They talked of a manufacturing world without boundaries or trade restrictions, where innovation, skill and initiative would solve both the economic crisis and the global energy crisis.
Cynics might contend that could happen about the same time penguins fly. Well, they’ve solved that problem, too.
The opening of the 62nd Hannover Messe in Germany came with a firm acknowledgement of the crises that face global manufacturing. With energy a prime theme of this world-wide conference, speakers at Sunday night’s gala opening and suppliers who provided the international press with a sneak preview of their booths both spoke of the need to use technology to address the global crisis in energy.
“Our industry is ideally equipped to return to the long-term growth track. The current and future challenges demand effective answers,” said Dr. Manfred Wittenstein, president of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). “You are all aware of our technological skills. We can offer effective solutions to the following issues: the conservation of natural resources; energy efficiency and CO2 avoidance; alternative energy - in particular solar and wind power; electro-mobility and hybrid propulsion systems for vehicles and machinery.”
 

Festo robotics displays a lighter-than-air bionic craftCONTROL ENGINEERING China版权所有, a pengin, in its Hannover Fair booth. Photo courtesy of Hannover Messe.

Nowhere was this more evident than at Festo’s booth on the fairgrounds. Last yearwww.cechina.cn, Festo’s robotics created a self-propelled jellyfish. On Sunday控制工程网版权所有, they showed off a lighter-than-air bionic silver penguinwww.cechina.cn, free floating through the booth space. It was a spectacular demonstration of what Festo officials said was a fairly fundamental problem for its customers.
“We are using bionics to sound out new technologies and to offer our customers more efficient solutions in automation,” said Festo chairman Dr. Eberhard Veit. “We must travel down newwww.cechina.cn, entirely different paths in order to provide