Artimus Robotics wins UK ARIA Award to Accelerate the Development of Dexterous Robotic Hardware

BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Artimus Robotics (www.artimusrobotics.com), a leader in artificial muscle technology, announces £1.5M funding from the UK government's Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA). This contract will enable crucial advancements in Artimus Robotics' core soft actuation technology and support the deployment of this technology into dexterous manipulators, in collaboration with the University of Bristol. Funding for this project has been awarded to Artimus Robotics as part of ARIA's £57M Robot Dexterity programme, led by Programme Director Jenny Read.

Led by Artimus Chief Research Officer, Dr. Nicholas Kellaris, the goals of this project are two-fold. First, Artimus Robotics aims to realize a step-change in the fundamental performance of their actuator technology – through innovations in both materials and fabrication – to meet the demands of robotic manipulation. Second, Artimus Robotics will collaborate with Dr. Efi Psomopoulou at the University of Bristol to integrate their actuator technology into robotic manipulators. If successful, this project will enable unprecedented codesign of actuation and manipulation morphologies to create cost-effective dexterous manipulators with high strength, speed, and adaptability for a wide range of markets.

"Artimus' mission is to bring hardware innovation to the forefront of robotic systems for simplified, lifelike motion", says Artimus CEO, Dr. Eric Acome. "We're thrilled that ARIA's Robot Dexterity programme has identified accelerated hardware developments as critical to unlocking the full potential of software and AI, thus creating vastly more capable and useful machines", he continues.

Commenting on Artimus' award, Programme Director Jenny Read says, "I'm excited about the potential of Artimus' HASEL technology for robotics. Their soft and compliant nature, combined with their high-speed response and proprioception, promises new designs for manipulators that are highly dexterous, low cost and extremely efficient."

For more information about the projects funded by ARIA in its Robot Dexterity programme, please visit: https://www.aria.org.uk/opportunity-spaces/smarter-robot-bodies/robot-dexterity

About Artimus Robotics

Artimus Robotics – a spinout from the University of Colorado Boulder - was founded to commercialize novel soft electric actuators called Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic (HASEL) artificial muscles. In contrast to rigid electromagnetic actuators, HASEL technology is based on an efficient and scalable electrohydraulic actuation mechanism that combines lightweight plastic films, fluid, and flexible conductors. This paradigm-shifting technology is poised to change how the world designs and implements machinery. Artimus is working with companies and researchers around the world to create motion solutions that are more adaptable, lifelike, silent, and efficient. For more information, visit http://www.artimusrobotics.com or https://www.youtube.com/@ArtimusRobotics.

About Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA: Advanced Research and Invention Agency - GOV.UK)

Created by an Act of Parliament, and sponsored by the UK government's Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, ARIA funds breakthrough R&D in underexplored areas to catalyse new paths to prosperity for the UK and the world.

We empower scientists and engineers to pursue research that is too speculative, too hard, or too interdisciplinary to pursue elsewhere. ARIA's programmes are shaped and led by our Programme Directors, scientific and technical leaders with deep expertise and a focused, creative vision for how technology can enable a better future.

Our independence allows us to pursue bold, long-term outcomes but that is only made possible through robust accountability. As a public body, we are accountable to Parliament and our Board of Directors plays a critical role in scrutinising our strategy. We also engage broadly and seek open feedback to shape our research, baking in ethics and governance considerations from the start to ensure we pursue breakthroughs responsibly.

For press inquiries related to ARIA's Robot Dexterity programme, please contact Anisha Solanki ([email protected]) with [email protected] in cc.

Contact: Eric Acome, [email protected]

SOURCE Artimus Robotics Inc