MIKE HILTON |CEO of Genesis Robotics

What’s the Difference

Between Geared and
Direct-Drive Actuators?
Learn more about the driving force behind robotics, and the pros and cons of these two
methods.

R
obotics development is being fast-tracked these tires don’t turn. This is because along the steering system,
days as companies look at ways to create new solu- many connectors with small, acceptable, amounts of play add
tions for everyday problems. Robots are becoming up to an overall large play in the system that can be felt.
smarter through artificial-intelligence (AI) learn-
ing processes, more dynamic in movement through design,
and more efficient in industrial applications. However, actua-
tors seem to get overlooked when it comes to their need for
innovation.

BASICS OF ACTUATORS
Actuators are the component responsible for providing
movement and strength in the joints and axes of a machine, Backlash
like a robot. A key factor in machine operations is a control
signal and power input to facilitate movement. However, you
also need to convert the output of the motor into usable speed
and torque. Think of the gears on a bicycle. Your leg might not
be strong enough to drive the wheel of the bike directly. Gears
are used to change the torque required to drive the wheel.
The same goes for robotic actuators, where a traditional
motor/gearbox combination functions together to convert the 1. Backlash is the “slack” in the system, also referred to as the
lower torque output of the motor to achieve powerful motion “play” in the gears.
in the robot arm at a usable speed. The more complex the
gear system (i.e., the higher ratio or more gear stages), which It is very difficult to eliminate backlash in a gear system
is typically required for higher-torque applications, the more and nearly impossible with multiple stage gearboxes. The
backlash that exists in the transmission system. Backlash will gears have to be manufactured with very tight fit, or tolerance,
impact the precision of the robot and in extreme cases, may which can be costly. In addition, tight tolerances lead to high
even affect safety. friction, or a mechanism is needed to keep the gears tightly
Backlash is the “slack” in the system, also referred to as the engaged over their range of torque.
“play” in the gears (Fig. 1). For example, when moving the Flexible gear systems, like a strain wave gear, offer another
steering wheel of an old car left and right when the car is off, method to help eliminate backlash, since the gearbox has
and there’s no power steering, you can feel some “play” or some flexible components that take up the “slack”. Unfortu-
backlash in the system as the steering wheel moves but the nately, this can lead to potential fragility and makes backdriv-

1 MACHINEDESIGN.COM
ing—operating the device in reverse—very difficult.
Geared actuators are suitable for lower-speed applications
because they enable motors to operate at high speed and lower
torque in a “sweet spot” of efficiency. It also allows the system
to use the relatively low-torque (weaker) motors common
today.
The most basic type of gear is the spur gear, where the teeth
within the gear will come into full contact for each engage-
ment, causing large amounts of noise, and leading to wear
and often the need for lubrication. The noise issue led to the
creation of the helical gear, which allows the teeth to engage
more gradually. When we change gear ratios to amplify torque,
it comes at the cost of reduced speed. That’s because the motor
driving the gearbox has its output speed reduced to amplify
the torque. This is why gearheads are also often referred to as
speed reducers.
DIRECT-DRIVE ACTUATOR
In a direct-drive actuator, the traditional gearbox is
removed. However, it requires the motor in the direct-drive
actuator to be able to produce enough native torque at a usable
speed (i.e., not thousands of RPM, but low hundreds of RPM).
Direct-drive’s benefits are numerous, and it’s long been the
dream of robot makers.
Direct-drive has no backlash because there are no gears; the
torsional stiffness provides very high precision. Direct-drive is
2. Direct drive actuators, like LiveDrive, remove the need for a gear
train altogether, which results in lower overall weight and less mov-
ing parts. These components can be produced at a low cost—at
more than 50% of the cost of a traditional geared actuator.
2 MACHINEDESIGN.COM
also fully back-drivable, providing great benefits in collabora-
tive robots that need to be moved and positioned by humans.
On top of that, high impact tolerance makes them very suit-
able for exoskeletons and walking robots, where the impact
from walking can damage gears.
Also, no gearbox means there’s a lack of inertia, which is
a major advantage from a safety perspective in robots and
machines. If a car starts rolling down a hill, the inertia built up
makes it very difficult to stop quickly. A similar thing occurs
with a gearbox: If you have a motor that runs at 4000 RPM and
a 100:1 ratio gearbox, an instantaneous stop is not possible.
The gearbox needs time to slow down.
The benefits also extend to the implementation of robotics
solutions. Backlash in geared systems often requires complex
programming to assist in improving precision to compensate
for the “play” in the gears. This takes time and often needs to
be constantly recalibrated. Gears also get damaged and must
be replaced or lubricated, which adds to the maintenance
costs.
The other benefit is cost. By eliminating the gearbox, a
direct-drive actuator is really just a motor, rather than a motor/
gearbox combination. That adds up to immediate cost savings.
As the cost of actuation is brought down, it brings robotics
closer to an inflexion point. This will accelerate the adoption
of robots not only for industrial use, but also for consumer and
non-factory use like healthcare.
New properties are being used in actuators to let robotic
design operate without gears. Features to look for in a direct-
drive are:
• Amplified magnetics: Look for unique configurations that
increase the effective force of standard permanent magnets.
• Structural-magnetic synergy: The tremendous magnetic
forces produced through amplified magnetics would collapse
a conventional motor construction. This new level of magnet-
ic performance requires a mechanical structure that’s strong
enough to withstand the resulting forces, but light enough to
give the highest torque-to-weight ratio
• Thermodynamic anomaly: Heat is a limiting factor in
any electromagnetic device. The combination of the first two
foundational discoveries provides a thin, lightweight structure
that allows for heat dissipation. Effective heat dissipation let’s
your actuator operate at much higher power levels than a con-
ventional motor.
Genesis Robotics has an example of this direct-drive, gear-
less design called the “LiveDrive,” which encompasses these
three foundational discoveries (Fig. 2).
SO, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
GEARED AND DIRECT-DRIVE?
As noted above, the main differences between these two
systems are their cost and performance in robots. Direct-drive
actuators, like LiveDrive, remove the need for a gear train
altogether, which results in a lower overall weight and less
moving parts. They’re components that can be produced at a
low cost—at more than 50% less cost than a traditional geared
actuator.
Eliminating the gear system also removes backlash, which
has a significant impact on precision. Direct-drive solutions,
can provide the highest level of accuracy, precision, and tor-
sional stiffness on the market. Another key improvement is
the ability to back-drive the actuator. They can also deliver this
performance at much higher speeds, as the speed-reduction
characteristics of a gearbox are removed from the system as
well.
Actuator technology has remained unchanged for over
50 years. Their lack of precision in movement and cumber-
some design has held back their potential. Not reengineer-
ing the actuator system, in addition to reducing the cost and
complexity of actuation, has slowed the adoption of robots in
consumer markets. Eradicating the gearbox and continuously
developing technology around direct-drive actuators solve
these problems, which in turn, improves performance and
market accessibility.

3 MACHINEDESIGN.COM