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Design Principles

Every designer must face the challenge – and the opportunity – of deciding how to design a product. Before we hit the drawing board, we took a deep dive into the robotic needs in terms of actuation, but also at the high level, from the system perspective.

Design Scope

Our mission is to create the absolute best actuation devices for highly-dynamic robotic systems. From there, we decided that the best approach to tackle the challenge was to follow a design paradigm based on Quasi-Direct Drive actuation.

Design Methodology

Traditional actuation design starts from a set of output requirements, such as peak torque and speed, plus some restrictions on the implementation, like DC bus voltage, power limit, volume and weight. Some other implementation requirements might be added, like comms protocol or cable management.

Motor

PULSAR HRI motors are PMSM electric machines. The Outrunner configuration is usually more effective in transforming electric energy into high-torque motion, but we always explore other topologies before committing to a particular layout.

Transmissions

Transmissions play a vital role in actuation devices, as they are responsible of the motor output conditioning. There are just a few critical parameters to consider when designing a transmission: gear ratio and inertia; backlash and transmission error.

Proprioception

Proprioception is defined as the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. It´s a capability of living beings, which allows them (us too) to estimate body position and orientation without additional inputs.

Why Quasi Direct Drives?

Quasi-Direct Drive (QQD) actuators offer a well-balanced alternative to traditional high-gear solutions, and a more effective solution compared to direct drive.