actuators

Strip any robot to its bones and you find three things: sensors that gather data, a controller that thinks, and actuators that move. Learn how these pieces fit together through the Sense-Plan-Act paradigm, why reactive control sometimes beats planning, and what makes a Roomba and a welding arm both qualify as robots.

Every robot motion — spinning a wheel, bending a joint, squeezing a gripper — starts with an actuator. Learn the key differences between DC, stepper, and servo motors; how gears trade speed for torque; how PWM lets a microcontroller dial motor power; and where hydraulics and pneumatics step in when electricity isn't enough.