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G

GPS: Global positioning system. Uses signals sent from a constellation of satellites to pinpoint the coordinates of a
receiver anywhere on Earth. Robots use GPS for absolute positioning, but it’s not generally accurate enough to give a
position better than a few meters, and it doesn’t work indoors.
GYRO: Short for gyroscope. Uses a rotating or vibrating mechanism that detects when orientation changes. Mobile
and aerial robots use gyros for detecting and maintaining their position in space.
H

HAPTICS: The study of people’s sense of touch and how to use it to create better control systems. Haptic devices apply
forces and vibrations to a user’s body to help convey what the robot is doing. If a remote-controlled manipulator hits
an object, for example, the operator will feel resistance on the joystick (what’s known as “force feedback”). Conversely,
a device like a haptic glove can measure forces exerted by the operator and translate those measurements to a robot
hand.
HARMONIC DRIVE: A special type of gearbox that offers virtually no backlash, a compact and lightweight form factor,
good resolution, and high torque. For a price. See also “Backlash.”
HOLONOMIC: Usually used in reference to mobile robots, holonomic means that the robot can move (translate) in any
direction without having to turn first.
HUMANOID: A robot with a subset of features designed to be similar to humans. Distinguished from androids in that a
humanoid robot is not intended to appear to be human, but simply to mimic the basic structure of a human. Humanoid
robots usually include two arms, a head, and a torso. See also “Android.”
HRI: Subfield of robotics that focuses on every aspect of human-robot interaction. See also “Roboethics.”
HYDRAULIC: A hydraulic actuator is powered by pressurized fluid, with the high pressure produced by a pump.
Hydraulic actuators are generally strong but slow. And leaky.

I

ICRA: The IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, one of the two largest robotics conferences the
world has ever seen. Organized by the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society and held annually in a different city around
the world. Pronounced “e-cra” for no apparent reason. See also “IROS.”
IMU: Inertial measurement unit. A sensor system that typically combines accelerometers, gyroscopes, and electronic
compasses. It measures orientation, velocity, and inertial forces. Used as navigation systems in UAVs or as orientation
sensors in mobile robots and humanoids.
INVERSE KINEMATICS: A set of equations that describe how the joints of a robot should move to position the end-
effector at a desired location in space. See also “Singularity” and “XYZ Coordinates.”
IROS: IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, the other of the two largest robotics conferences
the world has ever seen. Organized by the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society and the Robotics Society of Japan. Held
annually, with location alternating between a Japanese and a non-Japanese city. See also “ICRA.”
J

JAMMING: An actuation technique that involves applying vacuum to a pouch filled with a granular material; when the
particles get packed together, they “jam,” or lock into one another. Researchers have used jamming to demonstrate a
soft robot gripper that could hold objects by conforming to their shape.

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