Smaller, cheaper and less power hungry – these are some of the breakthroughs that CtrlWorks has achieved with CloudNav, a cloud-based engine that allows robots to perform autonomous navigation without the need for additional hardware overheads.

CtrlWorks is in the business of mobile robotics, Internet telepresence and autonomy, said Chief Executive Officer Mr Sim Kai. Since it was formed in 2011, the company has gained growing recognition for its work. At this year’s Techventure event in Singapore, it won the Most Promising Startup Award in the business pitch competition.

CloudNav is one of three components of CtrlWorks’ product portfolio, the others being Puppet, the telepresence robot platform; and Axon, a modular add-on kit for automating ordinary wheeled platforms such as trolleys and pushcarts.

In 2011, the founding team at CtrlWorks had an insight that the power of the cloud could be harnessed for advanced robotics. Starting from simple telepresence, the team went on to develop unique techniques for real-time robotic navigation over the Internet. This resulted in CloudNav – one of the world’s first plug-and-play cloud-based robotics platforms.

CloudNav eschews the use of hidden transponders, taped reflectors or buried wires and instead relies on existing features of the environment to figure its way around. It allows complex computations to be done in the cloud, eliminating the need for power-hungry, multi-core processors to be incorporated onto the robot platform itself.

At the same time, intelligent adaptation to the wireless environment allows the platform to navigate smoothly and safely without undue breaks and keeps sensor streaming to an optimum level. As a cloud-based platform, CloudNav also allows software updates, environment changes, and path adjustments to be made on-the-go, allowing for a smarter and more efficient robotic fleet with lower maintenance costs.

While CloudNav does the heavy lifting in the background, it is Puppet that is CtrlWorks’ most visible ambassador. One of the sectors where Puppet is making its presence felt is healthcare.

Puppet allows a patient to be examined without the physical presence of the doctor who may be at another place in a large hospital.  The condition of a patient – his blood pressure, body temperature, visuals of his body – can be monitored by the doctor using the robot platform.  Other features of Puppet include two-way video-conferencing, automatic recharging and adjustable viewing angles, in addition to autonomous navigation.

In developing its products, CtrlWorks works closely with customers to find out what it is that they really need. For example, since the business was set up in 2011, it has been working with hospitals to get their inputs, and the feedback has been useful in helping the company to shape its products and make sure that they deliver the functions that are required while minimising complexity. As Mr Sim observed, “There is no point building too many unnecessary features.”

Axon, which was launched at Techventure 2013, is a revolutionary add-on kit that can transform any wheeled platform into an intelligent mobile robot. Powered by CloudNav, Axon has an extremely small footprint that allows it to be coupled to the smallest platforms and navigate into the tightest spaces. It can fit behind a wheelchair, a trolley or a pushcart which can be propelled manually or automatically. It can also be recharged easily using a docking station, and can be integrated with other existing self-power platforms.

In developing CloudNav and Axon, CtrlWorks received support from the government under SPRING Singapore’s Technology Enterprise Commercialisation Scheme (TECS) Proof of Concept programme, which is administered by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). IDA also supported CtrlWorks with promotional avenues, such as featuring it in its booth in CommunicAsia 2013.

Mr Sim believes there are strong opportunities for Puppet and his compatriots to play a bigger role in the workplace. “In Singapore, there’s a strong push for automation due to the tightening of the foreign labour supply. We see opportunities in the logistics, healthcare and hospitality industries,” he said. “We plan to work with companies in targeted industries to implement Axon in their workflow. We also plan to work with other robotics and automation manufacturers to incorporate CloudNav into their existing products and services.”