Compliance
In mechanical design, the property of a joint or mechanism that allows it to deflect or flex under load rather than remaining perfectly rigid. Compliance, whether from a spring, a flexible material, or a series elastic actuator, is often deliberately engineered into a robot to provide safety, shock absorption, or force sensing.
Defined in 2 GAGE programs, which carry 3 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in Engineering Judgment and Professional Formation.
How each discipline defines it
The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.
In mechanical design, the property of a joint or mechanism that allows it to deflect or flex under load rather than remaining perfectly rigid. Compliance, whether from a spring, a flexible material, or a series elastic actuator, is often deliberately engineered into a robot to provide safety, shock absorption, or force sensing.
The inverse of stiffness; the tendency of an actuator or mechanism to deflect under applied force. High compliance means a large deflection per unit force. Compliance is desirable where safe human contact or delicate object handling is required.
The property of a mechanical system that yields elastically under load rather than remaining perfectly rigid. In robotics, compliance is usually deliberately engineered into a joint or transmission because it absorbs shock, protects hardware and people during unplanned contact, or provides a way to sense applied force.
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.