Actin(TM) Robotics Software Licensed by Energid Technologies to Jadavpur University

Robotics Company Provides Software for Bi-Handed and Hexapod Walking Robots

Energid Technologies announced it has licensed its Actin(TM) 2.0 robotics toolkit to Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India. Actin controls and simulates complex robots with many moving parts.

At Jadavpur University, the Control System Section of the Department of Electrical Engineering is establishing the Mechatronics Laboratory for advanced robotics research and education with funding from the Government of India under the "Centre for Advanced Studies (Phase-III)" program. To advance this laboratory, the department has installed precision and multifunctional hardware and Energid Technologies' Actin software.

Actin will support the laboratory's personnel working in Mechatronics, Robotics, Computer Vision, Embedded Systems, Communication, and Robust Control. Both faculty and students will use Actin for study and research on advanced robotics hardware.

"Actin will be applied to an innovative two-armed Cyton robot and to a new high-payload multi-legged walking machine under development by the Mechatronics Laboratory," said Jayakrishnan T, Director of Energid Technologies India.

Actin provides Windows and Linux software libraries that roboticists can apply to create powerful control systems. For robots with many moving parts, Actin takes advantage of extra degrees of freedom to produce intelligent motion with collision avoidance, joint limit avoidance, minimized motion, and strength optimization. Configurable and object oriented, Actin works with virtually all fixed, mobile, branching, and self-connected robots.

"Actin and Cyton are two jewels of our Mechatronics Laboratory. We are using them for our current research on human robot interaction as well as for research on autonomous visual servoing," said Dr. Ranjit Kumar Barai, who is in charge of the Control System Laboratory, Electrical Engineering Department. "And we are using Actin to validate our hexapod walking robot."

Jadavpur University researchers will use Actin to solve complex nonlinear differential equations and implement real-time control solutions. Students and faculty will have access to digital physics-based simulations to model and visualize new robot designs.

"Jadavpur University is exploring fascinating research areas," said James English, Chief Technical Officer for Energid Technologies. "Robots with many degrees of freedom open new possibilities for locomotion, manipulation, grasping, and sensor placement."

Energid Technologies India is an Indian engineering firm that develops robotic systems for educational and home use. Headquartered in Kochi, with customers throughout India and the world, it develops innovative software and hardware systems. These combine new Indian-made technology with advanced software from its sister company in the U.S. Energid India's products are sold directly and through affiliates, such as Robai, Inc.

Jadavpur University is a State University in the state of West Bengal. Its parent institution was established by the National Council of Education,Bengal, in 1906, as a result of the Swadeshi movement. After India's independence, the institution was converted to a University under the first Jadavpur University Act in 1955. The University has been accredited with fivestar status by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

Energid Technologies Corporation is a U.S. engineering firm focused on solving challenging problems in robotics, machine vision, and simulation. Customers include advanced robotics manufacturers, robotic applications developers, and NASA. Founded in 2001, its headquarters is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It has regional presence in New York, New York; Dallas, Texas; San Diego, California; Tucson, Arizona; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Chicago, Illinois.