Robotics Effectors and Actuators - Basics

We can difference between two types of devices that enable the robot to take action:

Effector: a device that has an effect in the enviroment
Actuator: mechanism that effectors use to take action

If we compare, a leg would be an effector, and the muscle that make the leg move would be the actuator. Similarly, a wheel would be an effector and the motor that moves the wheel would be the actuator. These actuators can be passive or active, but the more usual ones are the active ones. These can be:

Electric motors 20210516201246
Hydraulic
Pneumatic
Photo-reactive
Chemically reactive
Piroelectric?

Robotic effectors and actuators are used to perform two main tasks: locomotion 20210516201347, the movement in the world, and object manipulation 20210516201504.

The movement in a space is determined by the Degrees of Freedom of the robot. 20210516203846

Notes References

20210514183815 INDEX - Robotics

20210516201504 Robotics Manipulation - Basics

20210516201246 Robotic Motors - Basics

20210516201347 Robotics Locomotion - Basics

20210516203846 Robotics Degrees of Freedom - Basics