Worlds largest Robot Fanny
Lights Camera Dragon
The annual tradition of the Drachenstich Festival is know as the longest running community theater in Germany. The play is a combination of myth and reality, a merger of dragons and the long debated Hussite wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were fought between the Hussites and various monarchs who sought to enforce the authority of the Roman Catholic church against the Hussites, and also between Hussite factions. These wars lasted from 1419 to 1434. It is this war that awakens the last dragon according to the play.
Besides being in production since 1590th the play has another claim to fame, its main star Fanny. Fanny, has received the guinness book of world records honor of being the the largest animatronic robot in the world.
“According to Guinness Franny measures in at “15.72 m (51 ft 6 in) in length, 12.33 m (40 ft 5 in) in width and 8.20 m (26 ft 10 in) in height. The world’s biggest four-legged walking robot was unleashed by electronics maker Zollner Elektronik AG in Zandt, Germany, on 27 September 2012.
Fanny – aka Project Tradinno (a portmanteau of “tradition” and “innovation”) – is an 11-tonne (24,250-lb) fire-breathing dragon powered by a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine with an incredible 140 hp.
Each of Fanny’s legs has seven degrees of motion, which means it can move laterally and walk around corners, while her wings are sheathed in polyurethane and reinforced plastic. Its main function is to act in a play, so veins are filled with 21 gallons of stage blood, while 24 pounds of liquid gas allow it to spit fire.
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.’
Fanny performs for the first 2 weeks of August at the festival and tickets run € 16.00 or $22.00 For more information on Fanny or on attending next year’s festival visit http://www.drachenstich.de
images and video from guinness book of records http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com
