Harmonic Drives explained

This is a free preview of one lesson in the "Robotic Drives and Physics" course available on Jet Pack Academy and new for winter of 2019. In this lesson, Ian explains what a harmonic drive (or strain wave drive) is and how it works.

Transcript:

[SalveMonesvol]

Your setup was so clear that it was immediately easy to comprehend. Good teacher.

[ntag]

That's the best explanation I've seen so far. Took a good deal of effort to setup.

[slowpoke]

I had a great “Ah Ha” moment about 6 or 7 minutes into the video. I’m a now retired electronics technician who used to work in the production of printed newspapers. Equipment from a company called Ferag used harmonic drives and when we were trained on it the instructor told us what it did but couldn’t explain how it did it. To him it was a magical engineering marvel. In the years that followed we repaired them quite frequently. Usually the Flex Ring would crack and we disassemble the unit and replace it. I had a fair understanding of how it worked after working on them but you, my friend, brought it all together. I’m going to forward your video to my former coworkers who still have to deal with it. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. Thank you.

[jimturpin]

For years I have wondered how robots with compact reduction gear assemblies were able to work without backlash. I had always assumed there was a sun gear assembly inside, so it never occurred to me it was a "harmonic drive", which I heard of but didn't grasp the meaning. I learned so much today and it was awesome. Thank you very much, I needed that! :)

[mrdr]

A possibly belated, but no less heartfelt and sincere thanks for taking the time and effort of making this absolutely EXCELLENT video. Explaining a complex subject matter in a VERY clear concise and approachable manner. It is in my opinion "pearls" like this video that makes Y.T. worth while.
Best regards.

[kevinshvodianinvents]

Exactly the vid I was looking for. Dead simple explanation, and no other BS. Perfect

[cimilee]

Çok teşekkür ederim. Mükemmel bir çalışma. Onlarca video izledim fakat yeterince anlayamamıştım. Çok başarılı anlatım.

[RLProctor]

Great explanation. Now I understand the mechanics behind my new telescope mount drive. Very impressive!

[backho]

Super great explanation. One would think that the flex spline gear would fatigue over a short time, but they're so widely used in so many applications that it must not be an issue. Thanks for the great video demonstration!

[timlimon]

We use these drives in our surgical robots. Love the clear explanation and linear props to illustrate the basic physics. Thank you.

[perspectivex]

Best harmonic drive mechanical explanation I've seen (out of at least a dozen I've come across)

[jeffreymorris]

I finally understand harmonic drives. In 12 minutes. Man that's stellar.

[musiclover]

I have never even heard of these mechanisms before but I'm super glad I stumbled on this video. That was fascinating!

[ashutoshdube]

Hands down ...the best video I have seen on harmonic drive.

[morgankuphal]

Shared this video to my robotics class. Far and away the best video explaining how these drives work from the 5 I watched before this.

[amirsamakar]

I've read how this drive works multiple times but never were able to visualize how it works. It was a mystery to me up to now. Great teacher!

[thanhvinhle]

I understand it immediately after your demo with those straight gear. Very clear explaination.

[cmahar]

Considering buying a telescope mount that works on this principle and wanted to understand it. Your video helped a lot. The advantage of very low backlash in astronomical mounts is significant, as well as the reduced need for counterweights on the mount. Thanks very much.

[henryfam]

You Sir defogged my mind in 12 minutes on harmonic drives, THANK YOU.

[prashantpatel]

This is the most amazing and useful video i have seen in a long time. Thank you for explaining this. I was really struggling to understand exactly how it works. You are an awesome teacher.