Harmonic DriveGears and reducers · Japan
Supplier · gears and reducers
Harmonic Drive
Harmonic Drive Systems invented the commercial strain wave gear and is the benchmark supplier of precision reducers for robot joints. Its gears are reported in Boston Dynamics' Atlas and Spot as well as surgical robots and Mars rovers.
- Category
- Gears and reducers
- Country
- Japan
- Founded
- 1970
- Reported customers
- 5Named by the press or the companies
- Robots
- 12Name it in their parts
- Listed
- 6324 (Tokyo Stock Exchange)Stock market
What it makes
From the company's own description and the sources below.
- Makes
- Strain wave (harmonic) gears and gearheads for compact, zero-backlash robot joints.
- Parts
- Harmonic reducer, Joint actuator module
- Tier
- Components
- Founded
- 1970
- Listed
- 6324 (Tokyo Stock Exchange)
- Products
- CSF strain wave gear, SHF strain wave gear, CSG gearhead, Harmonic Planetary gearhead
Reported customers
Supply deals and partnerships as reported by the companies or the press.
Atlas (product version)Boston Dynamicsstrain wave gears in arms and legs · 2024-11New Atlas reports that Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid uses Harmonic Drive gears in its arms and legs. New Atlas
SpotBoston Dynamicsstrain wave gears in legs · 2024-11New Atlas reports that the Spot quadruped also uses Harmonic Drive gears in its legs. New Atlas
TIAGoPAL Roboticssupplies reducers · 2015-10PAL names Harmonic Drive as the reducer supplier for REEM-C and TIAGo. PAL Robotics
ASIMO (new ASIMO)Hondahistorical HarmonicDrive reducer use · 2025-05Harmonic Drive's briefing refers to its products being used in Honda's ASIMO programme; the relationship is historical. Harmonic Drive Systems
- Mitsubishi ElectricMELFA RH-3CRH/6CRHreducer grease specified and factory-filled in robot arms
Mitsubishi Electric's maintenance table names Harmonic Drive Systems as the maker of SK-1A reducer grease and states that the listed greases are charged before shipment. Mitsubishi Electric
Named in robots' parts lists
Quotes are from each robot's parts profile, which links its sources.
SyntroWorkFar · 2024Commercial“Maxon motors with Harmonic Drive gearing;”
Mercury X1Elephant Robotics · 2023Commercial“Two 7-DoF arms using high-performance servo motors and lightweight harmonic drive modules;”
RH5DFKI Robotics Innovation Center · 2021Retired“34 DoF with series-parallel hybrid actuation: high-torque BLDC RoboDrive motors with Harmonic Drive gears for shoulders, torso yaw, hip yaw/roll, elbow and wrist roll, and BLDC-plus-ball-screw linear drives in parallel mechanisms for hip pitch, torso pitch/roll, knees and ankles (17 HarmonicDrive un”
Surena 4University of Tehran, Center for Advanced Systems and Technologies (CAST) · 2019Research“21 custom actuators (harmonic drives, frameless flat high-torque motors, incremental and absolute encoders) plus 10 mini and 12 micro servo actuators;”
ARMAR-6Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (H2T) · 2018Research“16 brushless high-torque DC motors (RoboDrive) with harmonic drives in custom sensor-actuator-controller units;”
Surena IIIUniversity of Tehran, Center for Advanced Systems and Technologies (CAST) · 2015Retired“31 servomotors: Maxon brushless DC motors with harmonic drives and timing belt-pulley systems in the hips and legs;”
RoboraySamsung Electronics (robotics division) with KIST · 2012Retired“Torque-controlled joints: harmonic-drive actuators plus compliant tendon-driven actuators in the hips, knees and ankles with adjustable stiffness to absorb impacts.”
- No public photo yetWe only show photos we're allowed to useKIBOKorea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) · 2011Research
“Faulhaber DC motors with harmonic drives and belt-pulley transmissions.”
- No public photo yetWe only show photos we're allowed to useWaseda Flutist Robot WF-4RVIWaseda University (Atsuo Takanishi lab) · 2011Retired
“DC and AC motors with harmonic drives, driving motorised levers and pulleys;”
LOLATechnical University of Munich · 2010Research“Custom brushless DC motors with harmonic drive gears;”
H6University of Tokyo JSK Lab, built by Kawada Industries · 2000Retired“DC motors with Harmonic Drive gearing on all major joints;”
WABOT-2Waseda University (Ichiro Kato lab) · 1984Retired“DC motors with harmonic drives.”
Sources
Where each fact on this page comes from.
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