Search found 56 matches

by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: Actuators, Motors & Drivetrains
Topic: What's a reasonable service interval for a commercial-grade joint actuator?
Replies: 43
Views: 583

Re: What's a reasonable service interval for a commercial-grade joint actuator?

Sorry if this is a basic question, but A lot of the per-joint cost in a modern actuator isn't the motor - it's the combination of a precision gearbox, integrated encoders, torque sensing, and the driver electronics, all of which have to fit inside a housing the size of a fist.
by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: Sensors & Perception Systems
Topic: Best practices for IMU-to-camera extrinsic calibration on a moving robot?
Replies: 51
Views: 395

Re: Best practices for IMU-to-camera extrinsic calibration on a moving robot?

<t>@williams84 Counterpoint:

IMU drift over time (bias instability) is usually the real culprit behind slowly diverging state estimates, not noise - it's typically handled with sensor fusion against other references (visual odometry, joint kinematics) rather than trying to eliminate drift at the ...
by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: Sensors & Perception Systems
Topic: Anyone tracking sensor cost trends the way we track actuator cost trends?
Replies: 54
Views: 400

Re: Anyone tracking sensor cost trends the way we track actuator cost trends?

New to this, so forgive me if this is obvious - Multi-camera calibration drifts over time from thermal expansion, vibration, and mechanical wear, which is why production systems typically run periodic recalibration routines rather than assuming a one-time factory calibration holds forever.
by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: Sensors & Perception Systems
Topic: Anyone tracking sensor cost trends the way we track actuator cost trends?
Replies: 54
Views: 400

Re: Anyone tracking sensor cost trends the way we track actuator cost trends?

@amandawhite Here's what I know on this: Multi-camera calibration drifts over time from thermal expansion, vibration, and mechanical wear, which is why production systems typically run periodic recalibration routines rather than assuming a one-time factory calibration holds forever.
by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: Manipulation, Grippers & Dexterous Hands
Topic: How much does object symmetry actually simplify grasp planning in practice?
Replies: 28
Views: 374

Re: How much does object symmetry actually simplify grasp planning in practice?

<t>Sorry if this is a basic question, but

Compliant wrists that absorb impact during a bad approach or misjudged contact reduce mechanical stress on the whole arm, which matters a lot for long-term reliability even though it's a less visible feature than the hand itself. Tendon-driven fingers let ...
by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: Specific Robots & Companies
Topic: What's the latest on 1X NEO's home pilot program specifics?
Replies: 36
Views: 527

Re: What's the latest on 1X NEO's home pilot program specifics?

<t>@noah_pate This matches what I've seen too.

Estimated total operational commercial humanoids worldwide sit around 7,000-8,000 units as of mid-2026, broken down roughly as Optimus Gen 3 (1,000+), Unitree (5,500+ cumulative), Agility Digit (~250), Apptronik Apollo (~80), and Figure (~150 ...
by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: DIY & Hobbyist Builds
Topic: Anyone built custom PCBs for motor control instead of buying drivers?
Replies: 27
Views: 253

Re: Anyone built custom PCBs for motor control instead of buying drivers?

<t>@nicole10 From what I've seen:

Starting in simulation (even a simplified physics sim of just the leg or the target gait) before touching real hardware is one of the more reliable ways to avoid destroying expensive parts while debugging balance and walking control from scratch.

This whole ...
by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: DIY & Hobbyist Builds
Topic: What's the cheapest reliable force sensor setup you've actually gotten working?
Replies: 43
Views: 692

Re: What's the cheapest reliable force sensor setup you've actually gotten working?

<t>@dubois35 This is a great summary, thanks.

A realistic hobbyist bill-of-materials for a small biped balloons fast once you add a real IMU, decent motor controllers, a reasonable battery/BMS setup, and enough compute for onboard control - the headline '$5k' budget assumes a fair amount of DIY ...
by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: DIY & Hobbyist Builds
Topic: Sharing my cable management disaster and how I finally fixed it
Replies: 36
Views: 360

Re: Sharing my cable management disaster and how I finally fixed it

<t>Still learning the space, so correct me if wrong -

The Berkeley Humanoid Lite stands about 1 meter tall and weighs roughly 16 kg, which is a genuinely reasonable target size for a first serious hobbyist build - big enough to be a real bipedal platform, small enough to not need industrial-scale ...
by servosan90
Sun Aug 30, 2026 11:59 am
Forum: Careers, Research & Academia
Topic: Anyone regret specializing too early before the field's direction was clearer?
Replies: 25
Views: 277

Re: Anyone regret specializing too early before the field's direction was clearer?

<t>@servobre20 I'd take that specific number with a grain of salt, honestly.

In the UK, base salaries for robotics roles reportedly range from around £50,000 for new graduates up to roughly £200,000 for senior whole-body-control or reinforcement-learning specialists - a notably wide band ...