Harmonic Drive and Servo Motor Synergy Accelerates Robotic Arm Miniaturization
With the continuous development of robotics, servo control systems are playing an increasingly important role in complex working environments. A coordinated control strategy combining servo motors and harmonic drives improves the system’s dynamic performance and control accuracy. The Harmonic Drive + Servo Motor pairing is the core solution for achieving miniaturization, lightweight design, and high precision in industrial and collaborative robots.
How Servo Motors and Harmonic Drives Work Together
Servo motors provide high-speed, low-torque, and precise drive capabilities, enabling accurate control of speed and angle. Harmonic drives, featuring zero backlash and high precision, ensure repeatable positioning accuracy of robot joints, amplify torque, and enhance output rigidity.
The Role of Harmonic Drives in Robot Joints
In joint servo systems, the motor output shaft is connected to the load through a harmonic drive. The transmission relationship between speed and torque across the input and output shafts is determined by the harmonic drive’s structure. Inevitably, joint friction exists, which leads to efficiency loss and reduced compliance, but it also provides a beneficial damping effect. In practice, the impact of friction is optimized through lubrication, compensation via control algorithms, and force sensors.
Applications of Harmonic Drives and Servo Motors
Collaborative Robots
The servo motor directly drives the harmonic drive, forming an integrated joint module. Only low speed and torque from the servo motor are required to meet end-effector demands. This is especially suitable for lightweight robots with more than six degrees of freedom. Examples include UR, AUBO, and JAKA collaborative robots.
Humanoid Robot Leg Joints
The high reduction ratio of harmonic drives enables small motors to deliver the torque required for humanoid walking, ensuring sufficient power within limited joint space. Examples include UBTECH Walker, Xiaomi CyberOne, and Tesla Optimus.
Precision Positioning Platforms
The combination of servo motors and harmonic drives achieves ultra-high-resolution angular positioning. Paired with high-resolution encoders, it can reach sub-arcsecond accuracy. This is widely used in equipment requiring extreme repeatability, such as semiconductor and optical inspection systems.
Aerospace
The servo motor and harmonic drive combination delivers long-term stable low-speed, high-torque output. Since spacecraft are weight-constrained, the compact design of harmonic drives is highly suitable. Typical applications include satellite solar panel deployment and radar antenna actuation.
Medical Robots
The harmonic drive–servo motor pairing enables smooth, backlash-free, high-precision operation. The servo motor drives the harmonic reducer to achieve low-speed, high-precision control, while the harmonic drive ensures accurate force feedback during surgical manipulation.
Harmonic Servo Joint Modules as a Market Trend.
Harmonic joint modules integrate the harmonic drive, servo motor, encoder, and driver into a compact unit. HONPINE’s harmonic joint modules deliver higher torque output within limited space, maximizing the advantages of both the harmonic drive and servo motor.
Robots are widely applied in global industrial manufacturing, where the core functional components of their motion systems are harmonic servo joint systems. These systems ensure robot joints meet performance requirements for high-precision torque and speed control. Due to their miniaturization, high precision, and ease of integration, harmonic servo joint modules are becoming the mainstream trend of the future.
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EtherCAT vs. CAN for Harmonic Drive Motors: A Technical ComparisonIn the operation of robotic harmonic drive motors, the communication protocol serves as a critical link ensuring stable collaboration among core hardware components. EtherCAT and CAN are the two mainstream choices, with significant differences in performance that directly impact the control precision and response efficiency of harmonic drive motors.
How HONPINE harmonic drive servo motor achieves ultra-high performance and ultra-high precisionHONPINE harmonic drive servo motors achieve ultra-high performance and precision through a modular framework that integrates high-precision harmonic drives, high-accuracy optical encoders, and high-power-density motors. Professional testing with laser interferometers ensures stable, accurate, and predictable execution of position commands, meeting the stringent requirements of high-end industrial applications for precise motion.
How HONPINE Dual Circular Spline Harmonic Drive Captures Market Share in Industrial Automation?Common harmonic drives use cup or hat flexsplines with flanges for output. Dual circular spline types replace the flange with a second circular spline. The first circular spline has two more teeth than the flexspline, causing reverse rotation. The key difference is a flangeless, straight flexspline. The second circular spline matches the flexspline's tooth count, rotating identically to directly drive the output.- Why BLDC Harmonic Joint Motors Are the Core Components of Robots？BLDC stands for brushless direct current motor. It uses electronic commutation instead of physical brushes and a commutator. The harmonic reducer is responsible for power transmission and reduction in joint motors. To match the high-precision, zero-backlash characteristics of harmonic reducers, most harmonic joint motors use BLDC motors.
Harmonic Joint Motor VS Planetary Joint MotorWhen collaborative robots precisely pick up chips, AGVs shuttle smoothly through shelves, or surgical robots perform millimeter-level operations, few people notice that the joint motor contains a "power heart" that determines its performance—the reducer. Among them, harmonic reducers and planetary reducers are two mainstream technical solutions, and their differences directly affect the precision, lifespan, and applicable scenarios of the joint motors.
HATF Series Large Hollow Flange Harmonic Rotary ActuatorThe HONPINE HATF Large Hollow Flange Harmonic Rotary Actuator features a hollow design, which facilitates internal cabling and device integration. The product is equipped with a high-precision encoder and can be customized with an IP67 waterproof rating. It is widely applicable in industries such as precision CNC machine tools, 3C equipment, precision laser processing, inspection equipment, printing equipment, medical devices, glass polishing equipment, robotic arms, AGVs, and mobile camera gimbals.- The robot end effector of the robotic arm is crucial for achieving highly automated handling of workpieces.Robotic grippers, also known as end effectors, are robotic components mounted at the end of the robotic arm (EOA) that make contact with workpieces, functioning similarly to a human hand. The end of the robotic arm (EOA) includes not only mechanical interfaces but also electrical or pneumatic components such as connection cables and wiring.
- How to Choose a Robotic Rotary Actuator? HONPINE’s Built-In Driven Rotary Actuator Offers Significant AdvantagesThe HONPINE built-in driven rotary actuator is a highly integrated modular joint module that enables flexible assembly of multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arms and serves as a core component for building robotic internal structures.
- Which is Better for Joint Modules: Single or Dual Encoders?In humanoid robot joint modules, the motor is the core component that drives joint movement, while the encoder serves as the "eyes" of the motor, providing real-time feedback on its position, speed, and other critical data. Depending on the number of encoders used, motors can be categorized as single-encoder or dual-encoder types, each with its own advantages in terms of functionality and application.
How to Choose Precison Rotary Actuators for CNC Machine Tools and RobotsSince commencing production of rotary actuators in 2018, HONPINE has continuously grown and refined its product categories based on the diverse application fields of its customers. This article introduces HONPINE's two major series of rotary actuators: HPG and HAG. These are high-precision rotary actuators developed and manufactured by HONPINE specifically for CNC machine tool and robotics applications. Contact HONPINE, and we can recommend the most suitable rotary actuator based on your specific application.
HONPINE Harmonic Drive’s Backdriveability Enables Technological Breakthroughs in Multiple FieldsTo achieve safe, compliant, and flexible human-robot collaboration—ensuring environmental adaptability and operator comfort—merely obtaining torque feedback from the robot/environment is insufficient. High backdrivability in robots/integrated joint modules is often essential. HONPINE harmonic drives provide new opportunities in human-robot interaction through superior backdrivability.
Why harmonic joint modules are still the mainstream of integrated joint modulesIn the field of robotics, joint modules serve as core components that determine a robot's flexibility, stability, and operational capability, directly affecting its overall performance and usage costs. Currently, harmonic drive joint modules remain the most mainstream solution in the market.
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