SYNAPTICON WINS THE A3 INNOVATION AWARD AT AUTOMATE 2026 FOR ACTILINK-JD WITH POSITRON SAFETY AI
The world's first certified, three-tier safety architecture for humanoid robots—combined with a high-density family of actuators—is being honored at North America's largest automation trade show.
Chicago, June 24, 2026 — Synapticon, the leader in functional safety for robotics, received the A3 Innovation Award at Automate 2026 in Chicago for ACTILINK-JD with POSITRON Safety AI . Presented by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the award recognizes the combination of a high-density actuator family with the world’s first three-tier, certified safety architecture for humanoid robots.
ACTILINK-JD combines a high-torque motor, a single-stage planetary gearbox, and a SOMANET™ Circulo servo controller in a single, self-contained joint—with a peak torque density of 84.5 Nm/kg across four sizes ranging from 20 to 110 Nm. In combination with POSITRON Safety AI, it provides multi-axis safe motion, safe human detection, and AI behavioral safety, certified by TÜV Süd to SIL3/PLe and connected via FSoE on EtherCAT.
WORLD'S FIRST: SAFE GUIDED FALLING
The jury highlighted POSITRON’s industry-first innovation, Safe Guided Falling —certified functional safety on bipedal platforms, for which there is currently no equivalent. Together with Safe Active Damping at the drive level, it allows a humanoid robot to fall in a controlled and finely modulated manner, rather than simply shutting off the power—a crucial capability for robots that work alongside humans without a cage.
"Winning the A3 Innovation Award at Automate, in front of the entire North American automation industry, sends a strong signal," says Gonzalo Buelta, Chief Growth Officer (CGO) at Synapticon, who accepted the award in Chicago. "It confirms what we’re building: humanoids that leave the cage need certified safety built right into the actuation level—not added as an afterthought. ACTILINK-JD with POSITRON is exactly that."
POSITRON integrates into the NVIDIA Halos ecosystem and is developed in accordance with the relevant standards for automotive, industrial, and AI safety, including ISO 26262, IEC 61508, ISO 13849, ISO/IEC TS 22440, and ISO/IEC 5469.
AVAILABILITY
ACTILINK-JD and POSITRON Safety AI are now available for evaluation and integration projects with humanoid and advanced robotics developers. Visit Synapticon at Automate 2026, Booth 1590.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For what did Synapticon win the A3 Innovation Award?
For ACTILINK-JD with POSITRON Safety AI—the combination of a high-torque actuator family (up to 84.5 Nm/kg) with the world’s first three-tier, certified safety architecture for humanoid robots. Awarded by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) at Automate 2026 in Chicago.
What is Safe Guided Falling?
Safe Guided Falling is a certified functional safety system for bipedal platforms and a first in the industry. Together with Safe Active Damping, it controls how a humanoid falls—in a controlled and finely graded manner, rather than simply cutting off the power.
How is ACTILINK-JD certified with POSITRON?
POSITRON Safety AI is certified by TÜV Süd to SIL3/PLe and developed in accordance with ISO 26262, IEC 61508, ISO 13849, ISO/IEC TS 22440, and ISO/IEC 5469. It connects via FSoE over EtherCAT.
ABOUT SYNAPTICON
Synapticon develops and manufactures integrated motion control hardware and software for robotics and industrial automation—with a clear focus on humanoid robotics and embodied AI. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Schönaich near Stuttgart, with offices in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Belgrade, the company is the only one that develops servo drives based on the “software-first” principle. Its product portfolio includes the SOMANET™ servo drive families, ACTILINK actuators for robot joints, the MOTORCORTEX motion software, and the POSITRON Safety AI platform, certified to SIL3 PLe. For more information, visit www.synapticon.com.
Media Contact Synapticon
Jan Kaiser, Head of Marketing
Synapticon | Integrated Motion
Email: jkaiser@synapticon.com
