Strain wave gearing
Strain wave gearing is described really well in this video.
Strain wave gearing mechanisms are important for a number of reasons:
- They are compact transmissions with the potential for extremely high torque.
- They allow for realistic, controllable joints, which makes strain wave gears extremely important for robotics.
- They are arguably a bigger bottle-neck than physical AI for our robotic and cyborg futures.
Because of their complexity, they have historically only been made by a few companies in standard sizes, which limited the capabilities in robot designs and dictated the bill of materials costs.
Chinese robot maker Unitree seems to have made their own strain wave gears for their own needs, which has allowed them to reduce costs and scale fast.
Building custom multi-layered strain wave gearing allows for exceptionally fine degrees of control and immense torque. Something that software or AI alone won’t provide.
However the fragility and complexity of strain wave gearing impact the current scaling and reliability limits of humanoid robots.
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