GEMINI underwater robot from Schilling to use Energid Actin for manipulator motion control

Energid Technologies this week announced that Schilling Robotics LLC will use Energid’s Actin software development kit with Schilling’s new GEMINI remotely operated vehicle. Schilling Robotics will use Actin’s advanced motion-control features to improve the performance and effectiveness of GEMINI’s manipulators.

Founded in 2001, Energid said its NASA engineering roots enable it to provide real-time, adaptive motion control for robots in dynamic environments, on moving platforms, or using multiple arms or manipulators. The company said its commercial software development kit (SDK) and tasking framework can help developers of industrial, medical, commercial, collaborative, and consumer robotics. Teradyne Inc. acquired Bedford, Mass.-based Energid in 2018.

Davis, Calif.-based Schilling Robotics provides subsea remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and support services worldwide. It was acquired by oil and gas equipment supplier FMC Technologies Inc. in 2012.

GEMINI can be underwater for a month

Schilling Robotics said GEMINI is a work-class ROV designed to provide productivity and reliability for the most complex deep-water intervention tasks. With a depth rating of up to 4,000 meters (2.48 mi.), the ROV has access to over 30 subsea exchangeable tools and can remain subsea for one month, enabling round-the-clock operations without recovery for tooling reconfiguration, said the company.

“GEMINI incorporates our next-generation manipulators, featuring technology and operating advancements on several levels,” said said Steve Cohan, engineering director at Schilling Robotics. “In addition to integrated hydraulics, electric power, and communications, Energid’s Actin software gives us force and motion-control features that allow the manipulators to do complex manipulation tasks required for oil and gas field developments more quickly and reliably, with easier operator control.”

Actin coordinates motion

Actin has been used in a range of sophisticated robotic control systems spanning industrial, space and medical applications for more than 18 years. The Actin SDK’s broad adaptability and included algorithms are suitable for incorporating multiple real-time inputs while controlling one or more robotic arm platforms, vastly reducing the normal development times to bring complex robotic applications to market, said Energid.

Actin’s production-grade, field-tested control software enables advanced coordinated motion of the GEMINI robot arms, automatically handling kinematic and dynamic constraints while optimizing the arm motion in real time. This allowed the GEMINI team to efficiently implement advanced features such as visual servoing and force control. Energid also supports the oil and gas industry.

“It has been a great opportunity for us to participate in the development of the GEMINI ROV system and help execute the ambitious goals that the team and Schilling Robotics had for the new GEMINI manipulator” said Neil Tardella, CEO of Energid. “Together with the team at Schilling, we were able to leverage the advanced features of Actin to enable the manipulators to accomplish difficult tasks in dramatically reduced times. We look forward to assisting the team as they continue to develop and deploy new features on GEMINI.”