Project description
New actuators electrify industry
Many industrial tasks still rely on bulky pneumatic or hydraulic actuators that consume over 10 % of Europe’s industrial energy. The EIC-funded naXture project aims to boost energy efficiency by creating actuators that are compact, strong, and highly sensitive. It will combine solid-state actuators with integrated micro-hydraulic circuits to deliver ultra-dynamic, high-force motion while reducing energy consumption by up to 75 %. The flexibility of these units makes the full electrification of industrial processes possible. Their small scale makes it possible to fit into spaces where traditional systems cannot. With over 100 patents and successful industry applications, naXture provides a sustainable pathway for automation, bringing human-like precision and efficiency to the next generation of industrial machines.
Objective
Current electric actuators are unable to support high force/ high speed, low power applications. These are important when it comes to tasks a human naturally does such as gripping or clamping. They represent 20% of industrial applications, and their relevance is quickly growing due to their importance in, for example, assembly or robotics.
If these 20% cannot be electrified, industries don´t electrify the other 80%. They just keep relying on energy consuming (above 10% of energy consumption in Europe), very inefficient and polluting pneumatic or hydraulic actuators, due to the costs of maintaining two parallel infrastructures.
The human muscle is the perfect actuator – it is sensitive, yet shock resistant; strong, yet compact. By uniquely imitating the working principles of the human muscle, we bring the missing piece for fully electrifying the industry.
Our patented naXture platform uniquely combines solid-state actuators with integrated micro hydraulic circuits, to consume up to 75% less energy than existing solutions, achieving very high efficiency with ultra-dynamic and precise movement. Our small and light solution can be flexibly integrated in the smallest spaces.
Our disruptive technology is protected by more than 100 patents, of which the majority is granted. Moreover, we have proven with leading industry players our ability to electrify processes that previously relied on pneumatics. However, our current cost is prohibitive for most industries, and our production process is manual, thus limiting us to niche markets.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC-ACC - HORIZON EIC Accelerator
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
81549 Munich
Germany
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.