Nidec Drive Technology Launches Ultra-flat Actuators with Precision Control Reducer FLEXWAVE

Nidec Drive Technology Corporation (“Nidec Drive Technology”) announced today that is has launched ultra-flat actuators that house FLEXWAVE, a precision-control reducer, and a motor.

With society aging and the birthrate declining, there is a growing need for power assisting suits to support people at hard labor, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. Though still small, the power-assisting suit market is expected to grow at a solid pace, with the suits believed to be used widely as practical goods. Recent years have been witnessing a growing number of major manufacturers entering the market with not just human-wearable assisting suits but other types of suits as well, such as those to support upper arms only. To make these suits practical, light, thin, short, and small actuators are required for their drive systems. In addition, to address CO2 emissions reduction, other environmental restrictions, and surging energy demand require actuators to be high in output and energy density against their volumes and masses.
It is to meet such needs that Nidec Drive Technology has developed and launched ultra-flat actuators that combine FLEXWAVE, an existing thin and light high-precision reducer for precision control, with a thin axial flux motor (AFM). With energy density that far exceeds those of other companies’ products (maximum: 0.44W/cm3, 135W/kg) and low backlash on their reducers, the actuators can suppress the shock generated at start-up.
Nidec Drive Technology stays committed to providing various fields with highly efficient industrial machines based on its reducer- and continuously variable transmission-based knowhow, and contributing to a variety of markets.