AirPenguins flying at The Gadget Show Live

Festo's bionic penguins set to make a number of appearances

NEC, Birmingham, April 7 to 11

Northampton, March 9, 2010 --- Festo's famous bionic AirPenguins will be flying at The Gadget Show Live. Visitors can watch the popular Channel Five TV show's presenters perform a live version of the TV programme, and attend a range of special theatres and features to gain insight into top gadgets of the past, present and future, as well as see the Festo penguins fly.

A Festo AirPenguin can also be seen in the event's Future Tech Zone, which is designed to provide people with a personal and interactive glimpse into the future. Steve Sands, Festo's Marketing Manager, will be on hand to answer questions about the robotic technology behind the penguins and the likely impact of such biomechatronic systems on future automation.

The Future Tech Zone will also feature Festo's AirMotion Ride, which is a six-axis simulator capable of reproducing all the dynamic thrills of driving a racing car around a challenging circuit. All movement of the participant's seat is controlled by Festo fluidic muscles, which are powerful pneumatically-powered actuators capable of exceptionally fast and smooth operation. It can be just as much fun - some might even say more - watching people on the simulator, as it is actually experiencing the ride.

Readers wanting more information about Festo's AirPenguins should visit http://www.festo.com/gb/bionics. As well as detailed downloadable technical information about the AirPenguins, this page contains links to other bionic delights, including their associates, the AquaPenguins. There's even a link to Channel Five's website, showing what happened when one of the Gadget Show's presenters visited Festo's headquarters in Germany last year, and went swimming with the AquaPenguins.

Ends

Free Pass for Editors
Editors, journalists and industry professionals can apply for a free pass to the show's Trade & Press Preview, which is being held from 10am to 1pm on Wednesday, April 7. Qualifying applicants are welcome to stay on when the show opens to the public at 1pm, and will have full access to three halls of exhibition stands, but please note that there are no Super Theatre performances on the Wednesday. To apply for a pass, please visit http://www.gadgetshowlive.net/tradepass.

Important information about the Gadget Show Live
Opening hours: Wednesday 7 April: 1pm - 5.30pm (no Super Theatre show);
Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 April: 9:30am - 5:30pm (Super Theatre runs three times daily).
Ticket prices: adults - £12.95, children under 12 - £5.95, Children under 5 - FREE (plus 95p booking fee).

Public tickets are now only available for the Wednesday afternoon, and can be obtained from http://www.gadgetshowlive.net.

Ref: fgb333

About Festo's Bionic Learning Network
Bionic Learning encapsulates the Festo brand, raising awareness across a broad range of contacts and attracting talent to the company. Exploring the links between nature and technology opens up new innovation fields and demonstrates complex ideas in a stimulating and fun way. Festo works with an alliance of educational establishments and specialist companies, to advance the development of bionic solutions for automation applications of the future. For more information about Festo's Bionic Learning Network, please visit: http://www.festo.com/gb/bionics.

About Festo
Festo manufactures pneumatic and electrical components and systems to support customers with factory and process automation. The company has an annual turnover in excess of 1.7 billion euros, employs 13,500 people around the world and has facilities in 176 countries. Festo operates an aggressive R&D programme investing 7.5% of sales annually, holds over 2,800 worldwide patents, introduces about 100 innovative new products to the market every year and has a product range of over 30,000. For more information about the company's products and services, please visit: http://www.festo.co.uk.

For further information please contact:

Nicola Meadway, Festo Ltd, Technology House, 1 Fleetwood Park, Barley Way, Fleet, Hampshire GU51 2QX, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1252 775000; Fax: +44 (0)1252 775015; http://www.festo.com; email:

Press release issued by: Nick Leatherdale of Wordsun Ltd. Tel: +44 (0)1202 856000; email:

Magazines in Ireland
Please contact: Sonja Ferguson, Festo Ltd, Unit 5 Sandyford Park, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18, Republic of Ireland. Tel: +44 (0)7590 043250; email: