+++The Bionicum has been open every day from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm since 1 March, even though the work to renovate the centre piece has not yet been completed. Educational institutions and interested parties can still visit the interactive exhibition on bionics as usual.+++

Almost finished!

The new exhibition area’s main attraction is the completely redesigned centre piece, which will be fully furnished in April and then given some finishing touches. As well as the themes of biodiversity and bionics, the focus will now be on evolution, which is the basis for today’s diversity of life, which in turn is of crucial importance for bionics. The new exhibition also highlights the Bionicum’s connection with the Bavarian State Natural History Collection (SNSB), as it has been one of the SNSB’s regional museums since 2023. From April, the new attraction will also include an associated media station with in-depth information. ‘With the new areas, the Bionicum will be able to offer the public more services in a new building,’ says the director, Dr. Eva Gebauer.

The Bionicum has been an important part of Nuremberg Zoo since summer 2014 and was open every day. Many people who visited the zoo also went to the Bionicum. However, since October 2024, it has been closed for renovation work on the ceiling and the centre piece. During this time, it was also not possible to hold any robot demonstrations. From 1 March, the robots will be back on display at weekends, on public holidays and during the Bavarian school holidays at 12 noon and 3 pm.

Educational programmes are offered for educational institutions both indoors and outdoors. You can also search for bionic traces on the grounds on your own. There are two different rally sheets available at the zoo entrance for you to complete.

+++ Since 1 March, the Bionicum is open again daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm following the renovation phase. Even though the renovation work on the so-called centre island has not yet been fully completed, educational institutions and interested parties can visit the interactive exhibition on bionics as usual.

Done – almost!

The centrepiece of the new exhibition area is the completely redesigned central island. This will be fully furnished in march and will be given some finishing touches. In addition to the topic of biodiversity, evolution of living organisms over the course of the Earth’s history will now also be thematised. Evolution forms the basis for today’s diversity of life, which in turn is of crucial importance for biomimetics. These topics also emphasise the Bionicum’s affiliation with the Bavarian State Natural History Collection (SNSB), as the Bionicum has been one of the SNSB’s regional museums since 2023. From April on, the new attraction will also be expanded to include an associated media station with in-depth information. ‘With the new areas, the Bionicum will be able to offer the public an expanded range of services in a new splendour,’ says the director, Dr Eva Gebauer.

The Bionicum has been an integral part of Nuremberg Zoo since summer 2014 and is open daily. Many zoo visitors also find their way to the Bionicum. Due to renovation work in the ceiling area and the so-called centre island, access for visitors has not been possible since October 2024. It was also not possible to demonstrate our robots during this time. From 1 March, the robots can be admired again at weekends, on public holidays and during the Bavarian school holidays at 12 noon and 3 pm.

Programmes are offered for educational institutions both indoors and outdoors. Visitors to the zoo can also search for bionic traces on the grounds on their own. Two different rally sheets are available at the zoo entrance and can be completed on your own.

The Bionicum exhibit “customs detective” is enriching the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg since October, the 3rd. It is part of the new special exhibition: ‘Hello Nature. How do we want to live together?’ Well, what does that look like? See for yourself and try out whether you would make a good customs detective for species conservation. We are delighted that our serious game has found a place in this fantastic and comprehensive exhibition.

You might also stumble across a game on loan of the Tiergarten Nürnberg. Which one? We won’t tell… Find out for yourself.

More? https://www.gnm.de/ausstellungen/aktuell/hello-nature

Due to renovation work, the Bionicum at Nuremberg Zoo will have to temporarily close its exhibition starting from 7 October. The interactive exhibition on biomimetics is not accessible, but the Bionic Tour in the outdoor area of the zoo will still be available. Two new rallies offer biomimetic insights into the zoo.

The Bionicum has been an integral part of Nuremberg Zoo since summer 2014 and is open daily. Many visitors to the zoo also find their way to the Bionicum. Now the exhibition is closing its doors for a few weeks. This is due to renovation work on the ceiling and lighting, which also affects safety-related aspects such as fire protection. The public may also look forward to new exhibition contents such as evolution and biodiversity. ‘The exhibition as such, as well as the popular hands-on exhibits, will be retained. However, with the new areas, the Bionicum will be able to offer the public an expanded range of topics in a new splendour,’ explains the director, Dr Eva Gebauer. ‘Unfortunately, we will not be able to organise robot demonstrations during this time. However, our robot family is looking forward to their first real holiday since the opening’.

Educational institutions and interested parties will not have to do without the Bionicum during the renovation phase. In the summer, the popular Bionic Tour in the zoo was expanded with brand new stations and visitors can now experience the fascinating world of bionics at around twenty enclosures in the zoo. For example, if we want to cool down quickly and effectively on a hot summer’s day, a look at camel, kangaroo and co. will help. The thick fur of the camel insulates the animal from the heat. The unique interplay of sweat and fur is the key to camels staying cool. This also works for cooling systems, five times longer than conventional cooling systems and completely without electricity. At other stations, we learn about almost Olympic-calibre achievements in the animal kingdom. For example, the cheetah is the lone leader in sprinting and the kangaroo in the high jump and long jump. Owls fly whisper-quietly through the night, as bionic fans turn silently. Station by station, visitors playfully learn more about innovative technology and its role models in nature.

Visitors can search for bionic traces in the zoo on their own. Two different rally sheets are available at the zoo entrance and can be completed on your own. We also offer educational programmes for educational institutions in the outdoor area. And when the weather is nice, it’s always best to be surrounded by colourful autumn leaves.

There is a new participatory exhibit in the Bionicum! Pupils from Johann-Pachelbel-Realschule have inaugurated it. Even more: they have made dioramas of forests, for which the 3D printer is gradually printing animal “inhabitants”. Thassilo Franke from the Munich Science Communication Lab presented a beautiful example from nature – a colorful nest of wasps. How does something like this come about and what does it have to do with the 3D printer? See for yourself at the Bionicum…

Die Maus sent Johannes to the Bionicum and the Nuremberg Zoo to find out why animals glow in the dark and how exactly they do it. Want to know more?

Here you can find Die Maus-story about Glowing animals

A few pictures from the filming:

As well as the exciting permanent exhibition, the Bionicum has special exhibitions that change regularly. These exhibitions are only on for a limited time, but they always provide new insights and discoveries.

Current: Schillernd schön – Iridescently beautiful

Nature is full of colours – from soft nuances to magnificent tones. Not all of them are based on pigments. Some colour impressions are caused by the structure of the surface. Depending on the incidence of light, iridescent colour effects are created.

Luminous butterflies and dazzling beetles also inspired the Augsburg photographer Thomas Büchsemann to take razor-sharp macro pictures. This requires a good eye and a good dose of inventiveness.

In the special exhibition at the Bionicum you find out how many individual steps are necessary for one single photograph. At the same time you observe the fascinating insects up close. Try out how iridescent colors are created in nature and how such surfaces can be produced in the laboratory.

Made possible with materials from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the Bavarian Natural History Collections (SNSB).

The FAU has even made a short video for the special exhibition. Take a look and try it out at the Bionicum.

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Impressions of the special exhibition

Past special exhibitions

Bionik to the Future – a time travel to Nuremberg in 2050

What will our future look like? The Bionicum dares a thought experiment and travels to the year 2050. How are internet cables connected to spider silk or robot arms to owls’ necks? A journey through time reveals the secrets of technical developments based on nature’s models. The special exhibition Bionik to the Future shows how bionik research will make life in the future more environmentally friendly and easier.

The BayBionik project, funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection, joined five Bavarian universities to carry out bionik research. Their mission: to use models from nature to develop resource-saving and biologically compatible technologies.

Time travelling is being continued with the app Bionik2Future

Pretty gross!

Stinky, rotten, slimy: That’s pretty disgusting! All over the world, people contort their faces in disgust. Even the evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin recognized this violent reaction as an innate instinct.
Yet engaging with the revolting also provides a special thrill, whether it’s petting creepy-crawlies or examining lice under the magnifying glass.
The special exhibition at the Bionicum explored the world of disgust between exotic delicacies and fascinating creatures. There is hidden beauty to be discovered in the supposedly disgusting.

Speechless – by no means

Barking fish, waving frogs and glowing worms: Animals communicate in many ways. In addition to sounds, they use scents, colors and even electrical signals to communicate and orient themselves. We humans can learn a lot from this – and develop animal sensors, warning systems and antennas. The special exhibition at the Bionicum in the zoo showed exactly how this works.

Nature meets architecture

Snails and mussels are specialists in mobile living. Birds build sophisticated nests and prairie dogs perfectly ventilated burrows. Grass stems, bamboo or beech trees also impress with their construction: No storm will bend them over so easily.
So it’s no wonder that architects are inspired by nature’s ingenious construction plans. The special exhibition at the Bionicum presented the results.

Nature rich in species

Biodiversity is often only perceived in the context of species conservation and climate conferences. However, it is the basis for securing the world’s food supply, for new medicines, for technical progress and much more. The special exhibition Species Rich Nature at the Bionicum shows everything that is hidden behind this term and what influence humans have on it.

The Bionicum is an interactive exhibition. Both children and adults can immerse themselves in bionics via original exhibits, hands-on experiments and exciting background information.

In addition to the indoor exhibition, we have developed various offers in the open ground. Many animals and plants serve as models for new inventions. In our offers on the grounds of the zoo, the principles of bionics can be experienced live and in color in view of the natural models.