Development of a Testbed and Quantitative Evaluation Framework for Characterization of Robot Actuator Dynamics

Abstract

The performance of robot actuators is still primarily evaluated using manufacturer-provided static specifications such as maximum torque and rated speed. However, these metrics are insufficient for assessing dynamic behaviors that are essential for physical interaction, including backdrivability, transparency, and disturbance response. This paper presents HYPERDYNE, a novel proof of concept test platform and evaluation framework for dynamic characterization and quantitative benchmarking of robot actuators. The reconfigurable testbed is developed, enabling three test configurations of no-load, fixed-load, and interaction scenarios within a single hardware setup. In addition, an evaluation protocol is proposed that includes system identification, control performance, load robustness, and disturbance rejection. Experimental validation on a QDD actuator demonstrates that the proposed framework enables the extraction of key dynamic parameters such as backlash, friction, inertia, and frequency response characteristics, while also providing performance indices for objective comparison. The results show that actuator performance can be quantitatively assessed beyond conventional static specifications, supporting the development of robots with improved physical interaction capabilities.