The parts behind the robots — actuators, motors, sensors, compute, power, and hands. A directory of the key component suppliers powering humanoid robotics and physical AI.
Editorial directory — listings reflect notable suppliers in each category and are not endorsements or affiliations. Assemble a humanoid and you are stacking these six layers. Supplier and want to be listed? Get in touch →
Precision gearing and integrated joint actuators — the strain-wave and cycloidal reducers that turn motor torque into the high-ratio, near-zero-backlash motion a humanoid joint needs.
Strain-wave (harmonic) gears — the reference standard for low-backlash robot joints.
RV cycloidal precision reducers built for high-torque, high-rigidity joints.
Bearings and precision drives scaling into dedicated humanoid joint actuators.
Precision DC/BLDC drives and gearheads with Mars-rover heritage.
Motors and reducers at global scale, expanding into robot actuation.
Frameless and quasi-direct-drive motors plus all-in-one actuator modules — the torque-dense building blocks favored by legged robots and research humanoids.
Sells its own high-torque joint actuators alongside its humanoid and quadruped lines.
Quasi-direct-drive actuators widely used in open-source and research humanoids.
High-performance BLDC motors common in legged and dynamic robots.
High-performance integrated smart actuators for demanding robotics.
Frameless torque motors and servo systems for precise joint drive.
Specialty and frameless motors for motion-critical systems.
How a robot feels and knows where it is — six-axis force/torque sensing at the wrists, encoders at every joint, IMUs for balance, and tactile skin for touch.
Six-axis force/torque sensors, an industry standard at robot wrists.
Compact six-axis force-torque sensors purpose-built for robotics.
Absolute and optical encoders for precise joint position feedback.
MEMS IMUs and motion sensors for balance and orientation.
High-resolution camera-based tactile sensing for fine manipulation.
Inertial motion-tracking sensors and modules.
The onboard brains — edge AI modules, robotics SoCs, real-time motor-control MCUs, and accelerators that run perception and control without the cloud.
Jetson (Orin, Thor) edge modules plus the Isaac and GR00T robotics stack.
Snapdragon and RB robotics platforms for on-device perception.
Low-power edge AI accelerators for real-time inference.
i.MX applications processors and motor-control silicon.
Real-time C2000 MCUs, Sitara processors, and motor drivers.
Adaptive SoCs and Kria modules for robotics vision and control.
Keeping a humanoid upright and running — high-discharge cells, dense DC-DC conversion, gate drivers, and the battery-management silicon that ties it together.
High-power lithium-ion cells suited to high-discharge robotics loads.
High-energy lithium-ion cells and battery systems.
Power semiconductors, MOSFETs, and gate drivers for motor stages.
Power and motor-control silicon for efficient drive electronics.
Battery management, power, and precision signal-chain ICs.
Where robots meet the world — dexterous multi-finger hands and grippers, the hardest mechanical problem in humanoid manipulation.
Highly dexterous multi-finger robotic hands for research and industry.
Maker of the Allegro Hand, a standard research dexterous hand.
Grippers and end-effectors, a long-standing industry reference.
The BarrettHand multi-finger programmable gripper.