Hysteresis
A control technique in which a different threshold is used for triggering a state change versus releasing it. For obstacle avoidance, a trigger threshold of 0.5 m and a release threshold of 0.65 m means the robot starts turning when the sector drops below 0.5 m but only resumes forward motion when it rises above 0.65 m, preventing rapid oscillation near the boundary.
Defined in 2 GAGE programs, which carry 5 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in Foundations of Robotics and Physical AI.
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.
A control technique in which a different threshold is used for triggering a state change versus releasing it. For obstacle avoidance, a trigger threshold of 0.5 m and a release threshold of 0.65 m means the robot starts turning when the sector drops below 0.5 m but only resumes forward motion when it rises above 0.65 m, preventing rapid oscillation near the boundary.
The energy loss that occurs when a material or mechanism is loaded and then unloaded, where the unloading path does not exactly retrace the loading path, causing some fraction of the input energy to be dissipated as heat rather than returned. Hysteresis is the physical reason no real elastic energy storage element returns one hundred percent of the energy it absorbs.
The difference in sensor reading between loading and unloading through the same force level, caused by internal friction in the elastic structure. Limits repeatability in cyclically loaded applications. Expressed as a percentage of full-scale output.
A joint's condition in which its response to a given input (such as tendon displacement) differs depending on the direction of motion or the joint's recent history, commonly caused by friction in a tendon or cable's routing through pulleys or channels.
The property of a system where its current output depends not only on its current input but also on its past inputs or loading history. Soft actuators commonly exhibit hysteresis, which makes them harder to model and control precisely than rigid systems with simpler, history-independent responses.
Where it is taught
The exact lessons this term appears in. The first module of every program is free with a free account.
- Force, torque, and tactile sensing for contact · Sensors That Give a Robot Its Senses, Foundations of Robotics and Physical AI
- Closing the loop: driving autonomously around your world · Capstone: Build and Program a Simulated Mobile Robot, Foundations of Robotics and Physical AI
- Tendons, cables, and compliance · Mechanical Intelligence, the Art of Removing Motors, Engineering Judgment and Professional Formation
- Gravity compensation and energy storage · Mechanical Intelligence, the Art of Removing Motors, Engineering Judgment and Professional Formation
- Soft robotics and machines made of flexible materials · Frontier and Future Horizons, Engineering Judgment and Professional Formation
Where it shows up at work
A definition is where Hysteresis starts. The lessons above teach it inside the competencies below, which are what job descriptions ask for and what the GAGE credential records. Every link here is drawn from the same careers map that builds a role's readiness check.
Assures AI systems that can cause physical harm: hazard analysis, safety cases, runtime monitors, and the standards evidence a regulator or a court will ask for.
One lesson on this page teach it as a primary outcome.
Understands AI that acts in the physical world: perception stacks, vision language action models, sim to real transfer, sensor fusion, and where each of them fails.
One lesson on this page teach it as a primary outcome.
Roles that hire for it
Each role page shows the full competency set, what the seat decides, and a readiness check against your own evidence.
- Robotics AI Engineer, embodied systems editionneeds it at depth
- Physical AI Safety Engineer, autonomous systems editionneeds it at depth
- Autonomous Systems Governance Lead, robotics and physical AI editionneeds working knowledge
How job descriptions say it
Postings rarely use the textbook word. These are the phrases the careers map reads as asking for the competencies above.
Where the frameworks place it: EU AI Act; EU Machinery Regulation; ISO 10218; ISO/TS 15066.
One interview question about it
A collaborative robot's learned policy updates monthly. What evidence do you need before each update reaches the floor, and who signs it?
Asked of candidates for physical ai safety assurance. Answering it in your own words is exactly how a GAGE topic is passed, and the credential records the pass where an employer can check it.
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.