THE WORDS OF THE WORKSHOP

One idea at a time.

A glossary to keep beside your experiments. Each term leads back to a lesson where you can put it to use.

Acceptance criterion: An observable requirement declared before a test.Explore in module 29 ↗
Action scale: The conversion from a policy output into a joint-target offset.Explore in module 14 ↗
Actuator: A device that uses energy to produce movement or force.Explore in module 1 ↗
Animatronics: Mechanisms and control used to perform a character in the physical world.Explore in module 36 ↗
Anisotropy: A material's behavior depends on direction.Explore in module 22 ↗
Anticipation: A preparatory change that helps the main action read clearly.Explore in module 36 ↗
Arbitration: Choosing which request has authority when requests conflict.Explore in module 38 ↗
Backdrivability: How readily external output motion can drive the transmission and motor backward.Explore in module 3 ↗
Baseline: An explicitly recorded working configuration used for comparison.Explore in module 15 ↗
Bias: A systematic measurement offset that may change with conditions.Explore in module 4 ↗
BMS: Battery management system monitoring and protecting the pack within its design.Explore in module 33 ↗
BOM: A bill of materials: an identified, quantified list of components needed for a specified build.Explore in module 8 ↗
Brownout: Supply voltage falling low enough to disrupt electronics.Explore in module 32 ↗
CAD viewer: Software for inspecting the represented shapes and arrangement of a design.Explore in module 1 ↗
Calibration: Determining the relationship between measurements/commands and physical quantities.Explore in module 28 ↗
Center of mass: The mass-weighted average position of a body or assembly.Explore in module 9 ↗
Charge confirmation: Evidence that the intended charging process is actually occurring.Explore in module 33 ↗
Checkpoint: Saved training state used to inspect or continue a compatible run.Explore in module 31 ↗
Clearance: Space left between mating features so they can assemble or move.Explore in module 20 ↗
Collision geometry: Shapes used to decide and solve physical contact.Explore in module 12 ↗
Command arbitration: Deciding which subsystem may request robot motion.Explore in module 34 ↗
Commissioning: The staged checks that establish correct behavior of an assembled system.Explore in module 29 ↗
Commit: A recorded snapshot of selected repository changes.Explore in module 5 ↗
Constraint: A rule limiting a sketch’s geometry or dimensions.Explore in module 7 ↗
Control contract: The agreed joint ordering, units, timing, limits and meaning of commands and observations.Explore in module 35 ↗
Controller: Software that uses desired results and measurements to request movement.Explore in module 1 ↗
Cooldown: A delay before a behavior may be triggered again.Explore in module 38 ↗
Coupon: A small test specimen used to investigate a specific manufacturing question.Explore in module 20 ↗
Creep: Slow deformation under sustained load, relevant to clamped plastic joints.Explore in module 23 ↗
Crossfade: A time-varying mixture of compatible reference motions.Explore in module 41 ↗
Dependency: A package or tool a program needs to run.Explore in module 5 ↗
Derivative: A new file produced by exporting or modifying an existing source.Explore in module 19 ↗
Digital twin: A digital representation whose relationship to a physical system is maintained and validated.Explore in module 9 ↗
Domain randomization: Varying simulated conditions during learning.Explore in module 16 ↗
Dry fit: A supported trial assembly used to verify mating geometry before final fastening.Explore in module 24 ↗
Duty cycle: How activity and rest are distributed over time.Explore in module 42 ↗
Dwell time: The minimum time spent attending or remaining in a state.Explore in module 38 ↗
Easing: Changing movement speed near the beginning or end of a segment.Explore in module 37 ↗
Encoder: A sensor that reports rotational position or changes in position.Explore in module 3 ↗
Energy: A quantity available to do work; watt-hours are a common battery unit.Explore in module 2 ↗
Episode: Interaction between reset and termination.Explore in module 16 ↗
Extrinsic calibration: Measuring the spatial relationship between coordinate frames.Explore in module 34 ↗
Fault latch: A fault state that persists until the specified deliberate recovery.Explore in module 33 ↗
Feature: A modeling operation, such as adding or removing material.Explore in module 6 ↗
Feedback: Using a new measurement to influence the next control decision.Explore in module 13 ↗
Floating base: A body free to translate and rotate rather than being attached to the world.Explore in module 12 ↗
FOC: Field-oriented control: a method that regulates motor currents in a rotating reference frame.Explore in module 3 ↗
Forward kinematics: Computing body positions from joint positions.Explore in module 39 ↗
Gait phase: A location in a repeating locomotion cycle, usually tied to contact events.Explore in module 40 ↗
Habituation: Reduced response to an unchanged or repeatedly presented stimulus.Explore in module 38 ↗
Harness: A grouped, routed set of wires and connectors implementing an electrical design.Explore in module 27 ↗
Headless: Running a calculation without opening a rendered window.Explore in module 11 ↗
Held-out evaluation: Tests that were not directly used to optimize the policy.Explore in module 31 ↗
IMU: An inertial measurement unit containing motion sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes.Explore in module 4 ↗
Inertia: The relationship between mass distribution and resistance to angular acceleration.Explore in module 9 ↗
Inference: Running a fixed policy to produce actions.Explore in module 31 ↗
Interlock: A condition or mechanism that prevents incompatible operations.Explore in module 33 ↗
Interpolation: A rule for filling values between specified samples or keys.Explore in module 37 ↗
Interpreter: The program that executes Python code.Explore in module 5 ↗
Jerk: The rate at which acceleration changes.Explore in module 37 ↗
Joint: An allowed movement between connected parts.Explore in module 1 ↗
Keyframe: A specified value at a chosen point in time.Explore in module 37 ↗
Kinematic chain: Bodies connected by joints whose motions combine to position an end part.Explore in module 10 ↗
Latency: Delay between an event or measurement and its availability or effect.Explore in module 4 ↗
Lever arm: The perpendicular distance from a joint axis to a force’s line of action.Explore in module 35 ↗
Load case: A specified situation whose forces and motions you evaluate.Explore in module 2 ↗
Load path: The sequence of parts and interfaces carrying force.Explore in module 17 ↗
Mesh: A surface represented by connected small polygons, usually triangles.Explore in module 19 ↗
MJCF: MuJoCo’s native XML format for physical models and simulation settings.Explore in module 10 ↗
Monotonic clock: A clock used to measure elapsed time without wall-clock jumps.Explore in module 41 ↗
Morphology: The robot’s body structure and arrangement of joints.Explore in module 35 ↗
Motion envelope: The space occupied by moving parts across their allowed positions.Explore in module 25 ↗
Multipart object: One arranged object containing separately assignable component volumes.Explore in module 21 ↗
Neutral offset: The reference joint angle from which an animation offset is measured.Explore in module 39 ↗
Nominal dimension: The intended design size, which may differ from a measured physical size.Explore in module 20 ↗
Non-blocking interface: An interface that lets critical work continue while an accessory updates.Explore in module 32 ↗
Nozzle: The opening through which heated filament is deposited.Explore in module 18 ↗
Observation contract: The ordered meanings, units, scales, frames and timing expected by a policy.Explore in module 14 ↗
Out of distribution: A situation unlike the ones a learned system was trained to handle.Explore in module 40 ↗
Pad: An additive extrusion that creates or extends solid material.Explore in module 7 ↗
Parameter: An input such as a dimension that drives a model operation.Explore in module 6 ↗
Perimeter: An outline extrusion path forming part of a printed wall.Explore in module 22 ↗
Pilot batch: A small initial production run used to check the process before making duplicates.Explore in module 22 ↗
Pinout: The defined function of each connector contact, with a specified viewing direction.Explore in module 27 ↗
Placement: An object’s translation and orientation relative to its reference frame.Explore in module 6 ↗
Pocket: A subtractive extrusion that removes material.Explore in module 7 ↗
Power: The rate of energy transfer, measured in watts.Explore in module 2 ↗
Power budget: A record of expected and measured demand compared with the system’s limits.Explore in module 32 ↗
Preset: A saved collection of settings for a machine, material or printing process.Explore in module 18 ↗
Provenance: The recorded origin and change history of a file or component.Explore in module 19 ↗
Purge: Material expelled during a change to clear a previous filament or stabilize flow.Explore in module 21 ↗
QDD: Quasi-direct drive: an actuator approach usually combining a motor with modest gear reduction.Explore in module 3 ↗
qpos: MuJoCo’s configuration coordinates; not generally the same indexing as actuators.Explore in module 39 ↗
Rail: A supply line with specified voltage and electrical capability.Explore in module 26 ↗
Regeneration: Mechanical energy converted back to electrical energy.Explore in module 26 ↗
Regression: A previously working behavior becoming worse after a change.Explore in module 15 ↗
Regression suite: Repeated checks that detect lost behavior after a change.Explore in module 30 ↗
Regression test: Repeating established checks after a change.Explore in module 32 ↗
Release envelope: The explicitly tested conditions and command range for a behavior.Explore in module 42 ↗
Release record: The exact configuration, evidence and limits attached to a candidate.Explore in module 30 ↗
Retargeting: Adapting a motion to a different model or mechanism.Explore in module 39 ↗
Reward: A numerical signal scoring behavior during training.Explore in module 16 ↗
Rollback: Returning to a recorded configuration whose behavior is already understood.Explore in module 29 ↗
Saturation: A requested command being clipped to a supported limit.Explore in module 13 ↗
Sensor: A device that measures something about the robot or its surroundings.Explore in module 1 ↗
Sensor fusion: Combining measurements and a model to estimate a state such as orientation.Explore in module 4 ↗
Service access: Room to inspect, disconnect or replace equipment after assembly.Explore in module 25 ↗
Slicer: Software that plans a print as layers and machine movements.Explore in module 18 ↗
Solid: A geometric representation enclosing a volume.Explore in module 6 ↗
Stack thickness: The combined thickness of components clamped beneath a fastener head.Explore in module 23 ↗
Staging: Making the intended action clear to an observer.Explore in module 36 ↗
Staging pose: A deliberate starting position and orientation for a controlled final approach.Explore in module 34 ↗
Stale data: A measurement too old for the current decision.Explore in module 28 ↗
State: The changing quantities that describe the simulation now.Explore in module 11 ↗
State machine: A program that advances between named states only when specified conditions hold.Explore in module 34 ↗
Steady-state error: The difference that remains after the transient motion has settled.Explore in module 13 ↗
Strain relief: Mechanical support that prevents cable forces from loading electrical terminals.Explore in module 25 ↗
Support interface: The contact region between removable support and the printed component.Explore in module 21 ↗
System identification: Estimating a model’s physical parameters from measured input and response.Explore in module 31 ↗
Termination: The electrical load at the ends of a communication bus used to control signal reflections.Explore in module 27 ↗
Thread engagement: The length of mating threads that actually carry the fastener load.Explore in module 24 ↗
Time step: The simulated duration advanced by one physics update.Explore in module 11 ↗
Tolerance: Allowed variation in a dimension or property.Explore in module 17 ↗
Torque: The turning effect of a force about an axis, measured in N·m.Explore in module 2 ↗
Tracking controller: Feedback control that attempts to follow a specified reference.Explore in module 40 ↗
Tracking error: The difference between requested and measured motion.Explore in module 42 ↗
Transform: A translation and rotation relating two coordinate frames.Explore in module 10 ↗
Traveler: A record of parts, operations and inspections attached to a particular build.Explore in module 24 ↗
URDF: Unified Robot Description Format, commonly used to describe links and joints.Explore in module 10 ↗
Watchdog: A mechanism that detects missing or stale updates and initiates a defined fallback.Explore in module 41 ↗
Working directory: The folder from which relative paths are interpreted.Explore in module 5 ↗