Drones Are Cool, But Robot Birds Are Better

• Festo, a German automation company, has come up with a design for a fleet of robotic birds.

• Called BionicSwift, the autonomous fliers are meant to serve as a blueprint for aerial tracking systems that could increase productivity in the future, connected smart factory.

• It's mostly proof of concept: the company has come up with similar bionic models in the past, from dragonflies, to flying foxes, and even butterflies.