Actuator
A component that converts electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic or other energy into controlled motion or force.
Robotics & Drone Glossary
Precise definitions for robotics, flight, sensing, navigation, autonomy and embodied AI, each connected to deeper records and a supporting source.
Automated Guided Vehicle AGV
A material-movement vehicle that generally follows defined routes or guidance infrastructure rather than planning freely through an open area.
Autonomous Mobile Robot AMR
A mobile robot that uses onboard sensing and planning to navigate within an operating environment, usually under defined constraints.
Autonomy
The degree to which a system can perform tasks, make bounded decisions or respond to conditions without continuous direct human control.
Beyond Visual Line of Sight BVLOS
A drone operation in which the remote pilot cannot continuously see the aircraft with unaided vision as required for visual-line-of-sight operation; authorization requirements vary by jurisdiction.
Collaborative Robot Cobot
A robot designed for collaborative applications; safe use still depends on the complete application, risk assessment and protective measures.
Computer Vision CV
Computational methods that extract information from images or video, including detection, tracking, segmentation and depth estimation.
Degrees of Freedom DoF
The number of independent coordinates or motions needed to describe a mechanism's configuration.
Drone
An informal term for an uncrewed or remotely operated vehicle; in aviation it commonly refers to an unmanned aircraft and its supporting system.
End Effector
The tool or device at the working end of a robot arm, such as a gripper, welder, suction cup or surgical instrument.
First-Person View FPV
A method of piloting or viewing a drone using a live camera feed from the aircraft's perspective; operational rules still apply.
Global Navigation Satellite System GNSS
The general term for satellite constellations and receivers used to estimate position, navigation and timing.
Global Positioning System GPS
The United States' satellite navigation system, one constellation within the broader category of global navigation satellite systems.
Inertial Measurement Unit IMU
A sensor assembly that measures acceleration and angular motion, often using accelerometers and gyroscopes.
Lidar LiDAR
A ranging method that measures reflected laser light to estimate distance and build spatial data.
Machine Learning ML
A set of methods that fit model behavior from data for tasks such as prediction, classification, perception or control.
Payload
The useful load carried or manipulated by a machine beyond the equipment required for its basic operation; measurement conditions matter.
Radar RADAR
A sensing method that transmits radio waves and analyzes reflections to estimate properties such as range, direction or relative velocity.
Real-Time Kinematic Positioning RTK
A high-precision satellite-positioning technique that uses correction data to resolve carrier-phase measurements.
Remote ID
A system for broadcasting identification and location information about a drone and associated control station under applicable rules.
Robot
A programmable physical system that senses, acts or both to perform tasks; definitions vary by standard and context.
Simultaneous Localization and Mapping SLAM
The problem of estimating a system's location while building or updating a map of an initially uncertain environment.
Teleoperation
Remote control of a machine by a human operator, ranging from direct joint or vehicle commands to shared-control interfaces.
Uncrewed Surface Vessel USV
A vessel that operates on the water surface without an onboard crew, using remote control, autonomous functions or both.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UAV
An aircraft operated without a human onboard; UAS is the broader term including control and communication elements.
Unmanned Ground Vehicle UGV
A ground vehicle operated without an onboard human, through remote control, autonomy or a combination.
Vertical Takeoff and Landing VTOL
The capability to take off and land vertically, used by multirotors, helicopters and some fixed-wing-transition aircraft.