Robotics glossary
38 terms used across the robotics industry and this census, defined plainly. These are editorial definitions maintained by Robotics Census as a reference; they are not claims about any company. Terms are listed alphabetically.
- Actuator
- The component that converts energy, usually electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic, into physical motion in a robot joint or mechanism.
- Articulated robot
- A robot arm built from rotary joints in series, commonly with four to seven axes; the most common industrial robot form.
- Automated guided vehicle (AGV)
- A mobile transport vehicle that follows predefined routes such as magnetic strips, wires or markers. Unlike an AMR, it does not plan free paths around obstacles.
- Autonomous mobile robot (AMR)
- A mobile robot that navigates using onboard sensors and maps, planning its own paths around obstacles rather than following fixed guides.
- Cartesian robot
- A robot whose three principal axes of motion are linear and at right angles to each other, as in gantry systems and many 3D printers.
- Collaborative robot (cobot)
- A robot designed to operate in a shared workspace with people, using limits on force, speed and power, or sensing-based safety functions, instead of physical separation by a fence.
- Degrees of freedom
- The number of independent ways a mechanism can move. A six-degree-of-freedom arm can place its tool at any position and orientation within its workspace.
- Delta robot
- A parallel-kinematics robot with lightweight arms linked to a common platform, used for very fast picking and packaging tasks.
- Digital twin
- A software model of a physical system, kept in sync with its real counterpart, used to simulate, monitor and optimize robots and production cells.
- Encoder
- A sensor that measures the angular or linear position of a moving part, providing the feedback signal for closed-loop motion control.
- End effector
- The device mounted at the end of a robot arm that interacts with the workpiece: a gripper, tool, welding torch, spray head or sensor package.
- End-of-arm tooling (EOAT)
- The collective term for the tooling fitted to the end of a robot arm, including grippers, tool changers, sensors and compliance devices.
- Force-torque sensor
- A sensor, usually mounted at a robot's wrist, that measures forces and torques in multiple axes, enabling force-controlled assembly, polishing and safe contact tasks.
- Gripper
- An end effector that grasps and releases objects, using fingers, jaws, vacuum suction, magnets or soft compliant structures.
- Humanoid robot
- A robot whose body shape approximates the human form, typically with two legs, two arms and a head, intended to operate in environments built for people.
- Industrial robot
- An automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator used in industrial settings, commonly for welding, painting, assembly, palletizing and material handling.
- Inertial measurement unit (IMU)
- A sensor package of accelerometers and gyroscopes, sometimes with magnetometers, measuring linear acceleration and angular rate to estimate motion and orientation.
- Inverse kinematics
- The computation of the joint angles required to place a robot's tool at a desired position and orientation; the inverse of forward kinematics.
- ISO 10218
- The international safety standard for industrial robots, in two parts covering the robot itself and robot systems and integration; the reference standard for industrial robot safety.
- Kinematics
- The mathematical description of a mechanism's motion: how joint positions map to the position and orientation of the tool.
- Lidar
- A sensor that measures distances by timing reflected laser light, producing 2D or 3D maps of surroundings; widely used for mobile robot navigation and safety.
- Machine vision
- The use of cameras and image processing to let machines locate, identify, measure and inspect objects, commonly guiding robot picking and quality control.
- Motion planning
- Computing a collision-free, feasible path for a robot from a start state to a goal state, subject to the robot's kinematic and dynamic limits.
- Payload
- The maximum mass a robot can carry at its tool flange while meeting its performance specification, including the end effector itself.
- Programmable logic controller (PLC)
- An industrial computer that controls machinery and processes through programmed logic over inputs and outputs; frequently coordinates robots within automation cells and lines.
- Reach
- The maximum distance from a robot's base axis to the farthest point its wrist or tool flange can attain.
- Repeatability
- How closely a robot returns to a previously taught position over repeated cycles, typically stated in fractions of a millimeter. Distinct from accuracy, which measures attainment of a commanded position.
- Robot
- A programmable machine that senses its environment, computes a response and acts on the physical world, typically able to carry out a sequence of actions with a degree of autonomy.
- Robot controller
- The computer that runs a robot's control loops and programs, translating motion commands into coordinated joint movements and handling I/O and safety functions.
- Robot Operating System (ROS)
- An open-source software framework of libraries and tools for building robot applications, providing messaging between processes, device drivers and common algorithms.
- Robot simulation
- Modeling robots and their environments in software to test programs, cell layouts and cycle times before, or instead of, running them on physical hardware.
- Robotics
- The engineering discipline covering the design, construction, operation and application of robots, combining mechanical, electrical and software engineering.
- SCARA robot
- Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm: a robot arm rigid vertically but compliant horizontally, suited to fast planar assembly and pick-and-place work.
- Servo motor
- A motor combined with a feedback sensor and controller so its position, speed or torque can be commanded precisely; the standard joint drive in robot arms.
- SLAM
- Simultaneous Localization and Mapping: algorithms by which a mobile robot builds a map of an unknown environment while tracking its own position within it.
- Stepper motor
- A motor that moves in fixed angular increments per input pulse, allowing open-loop position control without a feedback sensor.
- System integrator
- A company that engineers complete automation solutions from robots, tooling, sensors and controls made by others, delivering working cells and lines to end users.
- Teach pendant
- A handheld terminal connected to a robot controller, used to jog the robot, teach positions and edit programs at the machine.
The census's own classification terms, core, adjacent, participant-only and unassessed, are defined in the methodology.