Kyntronics News

We are proud to announce we have won the Design World LEAP Award for engineering achievement. We have earned the Silver Award in the Motion Control category for a derivative version of the SHA. Working in collaboration with RMD Systems, our electro-hydraulic actuators met the complex actuator requirements for this autonomous field robot capable of transporting over 2,000 LBs of sensitive payload over rugged terrain. View our actuator project video and read the success story about the Autonomous Field Supply Vehicle (AFSV).

Kyntronics is honored to have been named Design World’s LEAP Award Silver Medalist in the Motion Control category. The LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) celebrates the most innovative and forward-thinking products serving the design engineering space. Kyntronics was selected by a panel of independent judges made up of 14 engineering and academic professionals, for our collaborative work with RMD Systems on the Autonomous Field Supply Vehicle (AFSV).

The AFSV project was ideal entry for the LEAP Awards motion control category. The Motion Control category is for components that improve moving machine axes. Including intelligent electronic components such as controllers, encoders, drives, stepper drives, servo drives, and other components for which electronic control is integral to their operation.

The Autonomous Field Supply Vehicle (AFSV) project was developed for transporting over 2,000 LBs of sensitive payload over rugged terrain for a potential military application. Kyntronics provided 18 actuators to RMD Systems to facilitate with gait control for a large legged robotic platform.

Kyntronics Servo Electro-Hydraulic Actuator (SHA) was chosen for the autonomous field robot because it met the critical actuator requirements of high force in a small package, rugged enough for outdoor use, power efficiency, and tolerance of high shock loading. Kyntronics provided three configurations of actuators based on the force and speed requirements of the specific leg joints (Coxa, Femur, and Tibia joints). The actuators were integrated with RMD’s gait engine control software, which uses position and force feedback from the actuators to control the legs and the body of the vehicle.

The complex actuator requirements were necessary to allow the vehicle to control the pitch and roll angles, along with the body height of the vehicle during the walking cycle.  Additionally, the AFSV was developed to be capable of autonomous behaviors including recovery gait, putting the body on ground, leveling the body independent of the terrain, and using an autopilot system onboard to control the vehicle.

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