HEBI X8-16 Series Elastic Actuator

The HEBI Robotics X8-16 is a smart series-elastic actuator that integrates a brushless DC motor, a high-ratio 1462:1 gear train, a compliant spring, dual encoders, and control electronics into a single compact module of about 490 g. It delivers 38 N.m peak and 16 N.m continuous torque at up to 15 RPM, operates on 24 to 48 V DC, and performs simultaneous closed-loop control of position, velocity, and torque via built-in PID controllers. The actuator communicates over 100 Mbps Ethernet (dual-port, daisy-chainable) using HEBI UDP-based protocol, with cross-platform APIs for MATLAB, ROS, Python, C/C++, and C#. Integrated sensing includes multi-turn absolute angular position (0.005 deg resolution, +/-4 turns), angular velocity, output torque, a 3-axis IMU (accelerometer and gyro), temperature, voltage, and current. It is designed for direct use in multi-DOF collaborative robotic arms, legged robots, and research platforms without homing or calibration on boot.