In this issue

Find out why companies such as Immersive Technologies, John Deere and L3-MPRI put Vortex to work for their simulations. High-quality training demands realism – and the Vortex toolkit equips our customers with the best fidelity in the industry. Using purpose-built modules like VxVehicles and VxCables, they have the ideal functionality to roll out fully fledged construction, mining and forestry equipment such as cranes, track dozers, rope shovels, graders and log forwarders.

Vortex features precise emulation of actual machines and vehicles by leading manufacturers, including drivetrains, wheels, tracks, booms, and cable systems based on engineering specifications. With the Vortex engine powering the simulation, students experience the full ramifications of their actions as they realistically drive vehicles and operate machines. Vortex heavy equipment simulations lead to safer operation, lower training costs, and reduced wear and tear on machinery. And the power and flexibility of the Vortex SDK saves companies man-years of development time. Click the topics below for more information:

• Heavy equipment applications with Vortex
• Video of Vortex heavy equipment simulation
• VxVehicles for heavy equipment driving simulation
• Why Vortex is the ideal solution for your heavy equipment simulation

It's no secret that Vortex excels at simulation of complex real-world robotics applications. That's why organizations like Defence Research & Development Canada (DRDC) employ Vortex for crucial physics and behaviour inputs. In a recent project, DRDC deployed Vortex for robotic and sensor simulations that aid the design work of its unmanned Shape-shifting Tracked Robotic Vehicle (STRV).

Initially the Vortex team developed a MATLAB/Simulink interface for simulated robots within Vortex, which was extended to simulate the Bumblebee and Digiclops camera sensors utilized by the STRV. Robotic controllers developed within MATLAB can be run on both the real and simulated robots with equivalent results, saving the DRDC significant development time and prototype costs.

This work is part of the Autonomous Land Systems (ALS) project at DRDC Suffield that undertakes research into the development and deployment of unique robotic vehicles for use by the Canadian Forces. In an earlier contract, CMLabs provided physics-based vehicle dynamics for the ALS project. Click here for more STRV details and images. Click the topics below for more information about using Vortex for robotics simulation:

• Robotics applications with Vortex
• Video of Vortex robotics simulation
• Vortex Labs provides innovative robotics technologies
• Why Vortex is the ideal solution for your robotics simulation

In today's global war on terrorism, with roadside bombs and potential ambushes on every street, convoy training is a requirement to help keep warfighters alert and alive. A combined solution of Presagis visualization, simulation and HMI tools with Vortex physics-based vehicle dynamics modeling provides a cost-effective means to develop highly realistic and immersive convoy trainers.

In this online seminar you will see and learn how to streamline and accelerate your development of convoy trainers by leveraging commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software. A live demonstration of Vortex, Presagis STAGE, Presagis Vega Prime and Presagis VAPS XT products will allow attendees to get visibility into the time and cost savings associated with using integrated technology for delivery of convoy trainers.

Who should attend:

• Project Managers looking to streamline their development efforts and save time and cost.
• Developers working on convoy trainers requiring standards-based modeling and simulation tools.

For more information about this upcoming web seminar in August and September 2009, contact events@presagis.com. Vortex is a certified Presagis Partner.

There are a number of significant challenges in simulating grasping in robotics and mechanical equipment. With multiple kinematic loops and redundant contacts between the gripper and the grasped object, maintaining stability and performance in the simulation can be difficult. Another important aspect of obtaining a stable grasp simulation is control of the gripper. Vortex and the VxGrasp feature provide several capabilities to simplify the challenges.

Grasp stability greatly depends on various elements mimicking reality as much as possible: modelling of actuator forces or torques, realistic joint compliance, and proper contact properties between the gripper and grasped object. Using non-linear stiffness to better simulate real-world contact stiffness is also important, as well as controlling the contact slip depending on pressure. Through experience we know that the model of the gripper also needs to be carefully designed to avoid redundant constraints. For example, you can use Vortex's Angular3 constraint to make sure a parallel jaw gripper in a parallelogram design stays parallel to the wrist.

The VxGrasp feature computes the grasp quality between a grasping mechanism and a grasped object from a collection of contacts. VxGrasp also computes the grasp quality of the closed gripper. The grasp quality can be used to compute the magnitude of an external resistance force that would break the grasp. This allows for the reliable use of an equivalent grasping constraint to replace individual contacts which improves computational performance and stability.

Ever evolving the VxGrasp feature set, we are developing additional grasp simulation and controller features for future Vortex releases. If you would like more information, then contact us to discuss how VxGrasp and our industry experts can help.

The Vortex-developed AnimatLab project at Georgia State University is a simulation software environment that models how the body and nervous system dynamically interact in a virtual physical world where all the relevant neural and physical parameters can be observed and manipulated. The body is situated in a virtual physical world governed by Vortex. The animat’s movements are under neural control as it responds to simulated physical and experimental stimuli. The autonomous behaviour of the animat appears in 3D alongside the time-series responses of any designated set of neural or physical parameters.

Vortex has been selected by the Research Center of Aerospace Mechanism and Control (RCAMC) in the State Key Laboratory of robot technology systems at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). RCAMC has deployed Vortex for wheeled mobile robot simulation for enhanced rover motion. Vortex’s advanced ability to accurately simulate the dynamics of wheels, soil, and ground interactions was a key to its selection. RCAMC’s rover dynamics simulations will be used to improve real-time motion planning in soft soil and rough terrain.

Click here to find out why Vortex is ideal for robotics applications. Click here for more information on the Vortex Academic Program or contact the Academic Program Manager at +1-514-287-1166 x223 or email academic@vxsim.com