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Robot Coordinate System

All robot coordinate systems follow this convention:
  • Positive X Axis: Forward
  • Positive Y Axis: Left
  • Positive Z Axis: Upwards

Leg Naming Convention

For quadruped robots, legs are named according to their position:
  • FR: Front Right Leg
  • FL: Front Left Leg
  • HR: Hind Right Leg
  • HL: Hind Left Leg

Degree of Freedom Naming Convention

Joint Types

  • Hip AA: Hip Abduction Adduction
  • Hip FE: Hip Flexion Extension
  • Knee: Knee Flexion Extension

DOF Abbreviations

We use the following abbreviations to label the degrees of freedom:
DOF AbbreviationDOF Name
FRHAAFront Right Hip Abduction Adduction
FRHFEFront Right Hip Flexion Extension
FRKFront Right Knee
FLHAAFront Left Hip Abduction Adduction
FLHFEFront Left Hip Flexion Extension
FLKFront Left Knee
HRHAAHind Right Hip Abduction Adduction
HRHFEHind Right Hip Flexion Extension
HRKHind Right Knee
HLHAAHind Left Hip Abduction Adduction
HLHFEHind Left Hip Flexion Extension
HLKHind Left Knee

Direction of Rotation

Motor Rotation

The positive direction of rotation is counterclockwise when looking at the motor from the top.

Leg Rotation

The positive direction of rotation is clockwise when looking at the robot leg from the side.

Neutral Standing Height

We consider the leg to be at neutral standing height when:
  • Hip FE angle is at 45 degrees
  • Knee angle is at 90 degrees
Our quadrupeds have:
  • Segment length: 16cm
  • Neutral standing height: 24cm

Mechanical Conventions

3D Printing Direction

The recommended printing direction is the positive z-axis direction of the STL files.

Mechanical Interface for Actuator Modules

We use the same mechanical output interface for all actuator modules.

Mechanical Interface for Segments


Electronics Conventions

Wiring Conventions

The wiring conventions for the actuator modules and the electronics are documented in the Details Wiring page.

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