RI Seminar : Dave Rollinson : Building a Force-Controlled Actuator (Company)
Dave Rollinson of HEBI Robotics discusses the design of the company’s force-controlled actuators and the challenges of growing a robotics hardware business at a Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute seminar in Pittsburgh.
In this talk
- 3:10
Robotics as building blocks
Rollinson says HEBI aims to make robot building as accessible as building with LEGO. Its modular actuators helped a CMU team assemble a lightweight, lower-cost arm for sampling sorghum, while NASA Ames used them in a compliant tensegrity robot. He says customers have also found unexpected uses for individual modules.
- 6:02
Why use series elasticity
An actuator combines a motor and transmission with sensors, controls, communications, mounting, and software. Rollinson argues that many available actuators are heavy, offer poor force control, or are costly and difficult to coordinate. HEBI’s X-Series modules use network commands for position, velocity, and torque, and include sensors such as IMUs.
- 12:45
Designing the spring and actuator
Series elasticity places a spring between the actuator and its output, so measuring spring displacement helps estimate force. HEBI focused on a compact rubber spring that shears rather than stretches, aiming for a more linear response and efficient use of space. The compliant design improves force control and shock protection, but trades off position precision and adds control complexity.
- 31:37
From lab project to company
Rollinson says HEBI grew from a CMU lab team with complementary mechanical, electrical, and software skills. The work shifted toward building reusable tools for other researchers rather than producing research papers, and the company’s modules developed alongside advances in compact electronics, Ethernet, and onboard computing. HEBI later moved from a leaky campus design space to a larger building in Lawrenceville.
- 36:45
Growing a hardware business
Rollinson says revenue, hiring, communication, and preserving company culture became bigger concerns as HEBI grew. The company self-funds by selling hardware, which brings uneven sales, and he describes word of mouth as a surprising source of demand. He favors investment partners who understand the longer timelines of robotics hardware, and says final assembly and testing help drive product improvements and protect control over firmware.
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