Why Does a Company Make Dragonflies?

Nature as an overarching model, and why a company builds dragonflies

Huge, silvery jellyfish performing a precise technical ballet in the air at a height of three metres, robotic swallows gliding nimbly through the air, or artificial hands modelled on human ones: Festo, a leader in innovation within the field of automation and control technology, develops technology demonstrators modelled on nature in order to explore resource- and energy-efficient designs and hybrid drive technologies. Design plays a central role in this: it explores the limits and possibilities of materials, mechanics and technology, whilst simultaneously bringing to life what is possible. In this podcast, industrial designer Moritz Rose speaks with two senior designers and innovators from Festo: Philipp Eberl is Head of Global Design and Dr Elias Knubben is Vice President of Research & Innovation. The two explain how they manage to bring emotion to the subject of technology with their sensational bionic concepts, how the concepts come about and how the design process works.

Discover Festo’s bionic innovations on YouTube.

In our podcast series, we bring you fascinating interviews from the world of brand communication and design. Up-to-date, informative and at the cutting edge of the industry. Featuring interesting personalities, industry leaders and decision-makers – on relevant topics such as digital transformation, sustainability and advancing globalisation.