Application / Exoskeleton & Teleop
Exoskeleton and teleoperation integrators need actuators that feel transparent to the wearer and can reflect accurate force from a remote manipulator. TK actuators ship with a tunable impedance control API and a backdrivability spec that's safe for continuous human contact.
Key Specs for Exoskeleton Use
TK-120 reflected backdrive torque: 1.8 Nm. This is below the human arm comfort threshold (< 3 Nm). The wearer can move freely without feeling the actuator resist.
Runtime-tunable stiffness Kp and damping Kd via ROS 2 topic or EtherCAT SDO object 0x2010/0x2011. Impedance updates take effect within one control cycle (< 2.5 ms).
Torque control loop closed at 400 Hz. Force-reflection latency from remote contact event to operator perception: < 5 ms in typical teleop configurations with 1 Gbps network.
Integration for Teleop
TK actuators work as both the leader (worn by the operator) and follower (robot end-effector) side of a bilateral teleop system.
Configure leader actuator in impedance mode with low stiffness (Kp ≈ 5 Nm/rad). The operator moves the exoskeleton and the joint state topic streams position to the follower at 100 Hz minimum.
ros2 topic pub /tk_joint_0/impedance_params \
tknd_msgs/ImpedanceParams \
'{kp: 5.0, kd: 0.4}'Follower actuator tracks position setpoint from leader. When the follower encounters resistance, it reads its own torque and relays it back to the leader as a Kp setpoint update, creating haptic force reflection.
ros2 topic pub /tk_joint_1/cmd_pos \
std_msgs/Float64 \
'{data: $(leader_position)}'A note on regulatory scope: Tendonkindle does not certify TK actuators as medical devices under FDA 510(k) or EU MDR. If your exoskeleton application requires medical-grade certification, you are the device manufacturer and hold that certification responsibility. We can provide mechanical and electrical specs, FMEA data, and firmware source — the certifying body will require you to qualify the component in your device context.