Cistron Accepted into the Onshape Startup Program
Cistron has been accepted into the Onshape Startup Program. As we develop Physical AI—AI that acts in the physical world through systems such as robots—we plan to use Onshape to support the hardware design, prototyping, and testing that accompany our software research.
About the Onshape Startup Program
The Onshape Startup Program supports startups developing new products by providing access to Onshape, a cloud-native platform for 3D CAD (computer-aided design) and PDM (product data management).
Onshape runs in a browser and supports part modeling, assemblies, and drawings. It also lets teams collaborate on shared design data.
How we plan to use it in robotics development
Cistron researches and develops Physical AI for autonomous control of industrial robots. Testing AI on real hardware involves more than control software: the physical setup, including peripheral equipment and mounting components, also needs careful consideration.
Where should a sensor be mounted? Will components interfere with each other? Which design needs to reflect a change discovered during prototyping? Sharing geometry and design changes gives mechanical and software engineers a common basis for these discussions. We see opportunities to use Onshape for:
- Part design and prototyping: Explore sensor mounts and fixtures as 3D models before testing them on hardware.
- Team design reviews: Review component placement and system configuration together using a shared model.
- Managing design changes: Revisit designs at each stage of prototyping and testing, with a record of how they evolved.
Onshape's built-in product data management includes change history and version management. We plan to use these tools to carry design decisions and lessons from one iteration into the next.
Getting started with the official learning guide
Onshape Onboarding provides a guided learning path covering navigation, part design, assemblies, drawings, and data management.
For new users, we recommend starting with interface and document navigation, then moving on to sketching, part design, and assemblies. Engineers with CAD experience can begin with the Self-Guided Onshape Bootcamp and explore the collaboration and history-management resources. We are also sharing this guide with team members who will use Onshape.
Building a foundation for design and testing
To mark our acceptance, we have added the official Onshape Startup Program badge to our website. The supplied badge also appears as this article's featured image.
We appreciate Onshape's support and look forward to using this opportunity to strengthen our hardware design foundation. By bringing design, prototyping, and real-world testing together across the team, we will continue developing Physical AI for industrial applications.