An engineer's guide to humanoids & mobile robots
Robotics system design content written by engineers for engineers
Introduction to articles
From autonomous mobile robots in warehouses to humanoid robots in factories and service settings, these machines are transforming the way we work and live. As designs grow more complex, TI is helping engineers bring next-generation robots to life faster—with advanced semiconductors and system-level expertise. Explore key design insights grouped by subsystem to jump-start your development.
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Motor control | Communications | Computing | Perception sensing | Functional safety
Motor control
Precise motor functions in robots are essential for accurate movement and interaction with people and objects in their environment. This section explores key design challenges for motors in mobile and humanoid robots, covering topics from motor control basics to power stage implementation as well as precision current sensing for accurate and precise motor control in advanced robotics.
Motor control
- Motor control in humanoid robots
- Cobots to humanoids: Driving system efficiency and safety into higher-power robots
- How motor drive innovations are helping solve robotic movement design challenges
- Simplifying Robotics Motor Drive Safety Assessments
- Prototype Motor Drive System for Autonomous Industrial Mobile Robots
Precision Sensing
Communications
High-bandwidth, low-latency communication across systems helps mobile and humanoid robots respond quickly to changes in their environment. Learn how motion control and perception sensing interface standards like Ethernet and FPD-Link™ enable real-time data transfer in these robots, allowing for greater mobility and control as well as transmission of high-resolution, uncompressed video in vision-based applications.
- How and Why to Use Single Twisted-Pair Ethernet (SPE) for Industrial Robotics Environments
- Advancing Humanoid Robotics with Single Pair Ethernet
- EMC/EMI Compliant Design for Single Pair Ethernet
- How to Synchronize the Timing Between Chips with Programmable Real-Time Unit
- How to Transfer High-resolution Video Data over a Single Wire in Machine Vision-based Applications
Computing
Designing smarter, more responsive mobile and humanoid robots starts with high-performance embedded processors and intuitive software that enables real-time control, perception and decision-making at the network edge. Read how these highly integrated devices help analyze and respond to the growing amount of sensor data robots use for perception, navigation and motion control.
- Autonomous Mobile Robots: Toward Intelligent and Safe Navigation with AM69A
- How Are Sensors and Processors Creating More Intelligent and Autonomous Robots?
- Streamlining Robotic System Design with TI’s Embedded Processors and Extensive Third-Party Hardware Partner Network
- Designing Functionally Safe and AI Enabled Robotics Systems with TI Processors
Perception sensing
Mobile and humanoid robots use a variety of sensor modalities to detect and understand their environment, including visual systems (cameras), radar, LiDAR and tactile sensors (pressure sensors). Read about how sensor fusion enables these advanced machines to “sense” the world around them faster and more accurately while responding quickly and efficiently.
Functional safety
Functional safety is crucial in all robotic systems, and meeting industry standards such as IEC 61508, ISO 13849, IEC 61800 and IEC 60730 is necessary to ensure safe operation around humans. The articles in this section discuss the functional safety framework and address risk assessment, fault detection, and fail-safe operation as well as development processes to streamline certification.