Robot Industry Glossary

The use of robots and control systems to automate manufacturing processes, reducing human intervention and increasing efficiency.

A design principle ensuring that a robot defaults to a safe state upon system failure, such as braking joints or releasing tools.

Engineering principle ensuring that system failures default to a safe state such as brakes engaged, power cuts, motion halts).

The process of identifying and describing key visual or geometric elements (edges, corners, points) in sensor data for robot perception.

Sensor information returned to a robot’s controller about the current state (position, force, velocity) used for error correction.

A closed-loop system where sensor data is continuously compared to a reference signal to adjust actuator outputs.

A control strategy that anticipates and compensates for known disturbances or dynamics without relying solely on feedback.

Predictive control that compensates for known disturbances or dynamics before errors occur, often paired with feedback.

Industrial robot operation without physical safety barriers, using sensors and software to ensure human safety (see Cobot).

A robot design with redundant systems so that failure of one component does not prevent continued safe operation.

A visually distinctive marker placed in the environment for robot localization and camera calibration.

A robot designed for outdoor agricultural tasks, operating in unstructured and variable terrain.

Robots operating in unstructured, natural environments such as agriculture, mining, forestry, and space.

A rounded corner or edge on a robot component, reducing stress concentration and improving manufacturability.

A computational model used in robot behavior programming where the robot transitions between a finite number of defined states.

Low-level software embedded in robot hardware components (motors, sensors, controllers) that directly manages device operations.

A device that holds a workpiece in a precise and repeatable position during robotic manufacturing operations.

The onboard computer system managing the sensors, motors, and navigation of a drone or aerial robot.

An auxiliary tracked appendage on tracked robots used to climb obstacles, improve stability, or self-right after a flip.

A mobile robot that operates on the ground, as opposed to aerial or underwater robots.

In leader-follower architectures, a robot that copies or follows the motions or commands of a leader robot or human operator.

A control strategy where a robot regulates the contact forces between its end-effector and the environment, critical for polishing, assembly, and surgery.

Measures applied forces and moments at the wrist or end effector, enabling compliant manipulation and assembly tasks.

The calculation of a robot’s end-effector position and orientation from its known joint positions using transformation matrices.

A software platform providing reusable tools and libraries for robot development, such as ROS, ROS 2, YARP, or Orocos.

The resistive force opposing relative motion between surfaces in contact, affecting robot joint performance and requiring compensation in control.

Techniques in robot control that estimate and counteract friction forces to improve motion accuracy and smoothness.

The absence of unreasonable risk due to hazards caused by malfunctioning electrical/electronic systems.

A 3D printing technology frequently used in robotics for prototyping parts, jigs, and custom end-effectors.

A computational approach using degrees of truth rather than binary logic, applied in robot control and decision-making under uncertainty.