APRON (Array Processing Environment) is a powerful and easy to use simulation tool, for the high-speed, interactive simulation of topgraphic (array based) algorithms. Such algorithms may include image processing, topographic neural networks and cellular non-linear networks. The simulation environment is extensible by building plug-ins, which implies that APRON can also be used as an interface to many other things, including additional processing hardware (FPGAs, GPUs, DSPs, etc) and sensors and actuators (cameras, robot limbs, server motors etc). This flexibility positions APRON as a suitable platform for the prototyping of robotic systems, as the entire feedback loop can be implemented: Sense - Filter - Process - Cognition - Decision - Actuate. Whilst a simulation is running, the user can investigate and interact with all of the parameters, giving a highly intuitive feel during the development process.

Robots are only part of what APRON can be used for. Image processing works very well when using a webcam to acquire images. The optimised simulation core allows many complex algorithms to be run at acceptable frame-rates just using a CPU. The simple way APRON is used makes it an ideal image processing learning tool. With the availability of flexible connectivity strategies and learning rules, APRON can be used to simulate topographic neural networks as well.

Additional simulation functionality can be "plugged in", if the default functions (of which there are over 100) are not sufficient. All of these modules are linked together through a simple, yet flexible scripting language called APRON Script. APRON is already used in academia, and has a growing user-base. It's free to download and start using immediately.

Download
This page contains all of the information required to download, install and upgrade APRON
APRON Script
 This page is a starting point for exploring the online documentation. An offline version is provided with the download
APRON Plug-ins
 This page contains information about the available APRON plug-ins and how to start building your own
Videos
 A collection of YouTube videos showing APRON in action
Algorithms
 A collection of APRON algorithms that you might find interesting
Benchmarks
 Occasionally, we stress-test APRON on new hardware to see how it performs



 All material contained on this website is copyright of David R W Barr 2009