Looking like a creature straight out of the Game of Thrones TV series, Fanny is a 30-foot high, fire-breathing mechanical dragon that can flap its 40-foot wings and walk on all fours.
Designed by German electronic firm, Zollner Elektronik AG, the creature is powered by four remote controls, a two-litre turbo diesel engine and a series of hydraulic valves.
The beast was created as part of the Tradinno project - a portmanteau of 'tradition' and 'innovation' - set up to build the dragon that features in German folk play Drachenstich.
Fanny was awarded the largest walking robot accolade in the 2014 edition of the Guinness World Records book. The Drachenstich play, which means Spearing the Dragon or more literally, dragon stab, has been performed in the town of Furth im Wald for the past 500 years.
Its story is a take on the legend of Saint George and was adapted during the early 1950s to symbolise the threat of communism from the East. The current plot centres around the Hussite wars from the 15th Century. The dragon is made up of two hydraulic circuits consisting of 272 valves, 50 drives and uses 165 litres of oil.
It also has 4,265ft of electric cables and 360ft or pneumatic lines. Fanny can travel at around one mile per hour using its 140hp engine. The beast also carries 80 litres of stage blood, which squirts out of its back when it is lanced with a spear during the play.
Each of Fanny's legs has seven degrees of motion, which means it can move laterally and walk around corners. A spokesman from Zollner Elektronik AG said: 'Realising a radio remote-controlled, outdoor-capable four-legged robot walking robot in unheard-of dimensions, was what really motivated the developers and designers.'The other fascinating aspect for the team was the fact that the mechatronic system was to star in the oldest German folk play.'
It was completed on 27 September 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment