A Deep Dive into Actuators for Humanoid Robotics — Robotics Club

This podcast episode features a discussion about actuators, which are defined as devices that actuate a joint, essentially motors with reducers/transmissions and controls. The conversation covers different types of actuators (rotary, linear, revolute, prismatic), and delves into reducers like planetary gears, harmonic drives, cycloidal drives, and RV reducers, further exploring concepts like backdrivability, backlash, QDD, torque transparency and gear ratio. The speakers analyze the pros and cons of each type, considering factors like efficiency, heat generation, and precision, also touching on linear drives, ball screws, and planetary roller screws. Actuator specifications such as torque and speed, and the importance of proper joint selection in humanoid bot design are also addressed, including the in-out principle for joint assessment. The discussion extends to the role of simulation in hardware design, alternative actuation strategies like tendon drives, and the potential for overheating and stalling in actuators.