Dedicated robot actuators and servo controllers

The RC servo we got to know earlier in this chapter is a self-contained actuator but it has significant limitations. Most importantly, it does not provide any feedback (for example, position, speed, torque, and internal temperature), it does not rotate much more than half a rotation, and it only has one mode of operation, namely position control.

There are several dedicated robot actuators that integrate a motor, gearbox, motor controller, position, torque, and temperature sensors, as well as powerful interfaces for rich feedback. These actuators often offer different modes of operation that allow you to either a target position, a target speed, or a target torque. Most of these integrated actuators tend to be too expensive or too complicated to be widely used in DIY Arduino projects. The most relevant robot actuators for DIY robots nowadays are the Dynamixel servos by Robotis. These devices are capable servo motors for high-end Arduino...