What is an Actuator?

Put simply, an actuator is something that converts energy into motion. It can also be used to apply a force. An actuator typically is a mechanical device that takes energy, usually created by air, electricity, or liquid, and converts that into some kind of motion. That motion can be anything from blocking to clamping to ejecting. Actuators are typically used in manufacturing or industrial applications and may be used in things like motors, pumps, switches, and valves. Perhaps the most common type of actuator is powered by air — the pneumatic cylinder, also known as the air cylinder. Air cylinders are air-tight cylinders, typically made from metal, that use the energy of compressed air to move a piston. Air cylinders are most commonly used in manufacturing and assembly processes. Grippers, which are used in robotics, use actuators driven by compressed air to work much like human fingers. Actuators can also be powered by electricity or hydraulics. Much like there are air cylinders, ...  more

An actuator is the mechanism by which the user can control a specific aspect of the bot's movement or actions. For example, the programmer can instruct the bot to turn at a certain speed by making a call to the do_rotation() actuator while passing the desired turning speed as an argument. On every think cycle, the programmer has an opportunity to call any or all of the available actuators, thereby affecting the bot's in-game actions.  more

An actuator is a transducer that causes an electrical signal to change a physical, biological or chemical parameter of the real world, for example: a heater actuator to set the temperature. Actuators typically accept digital data representing the parameter from another component of the system and then cause the appropriate change in the real world physical parameter of interest. Actuator components in a system supporting IEEE 1588 will typically include a 1588 clock and a small microprocessor. Such components are often termed 'smart transducers' in that they do some processing on the received digital data before making a change in the real world. • What is the role of the 1588 clock? The 1588 clock typically is used in an actuator component as a mechanism to generate the actuation trigger by comparing the time of the 1588 clock to a specified 'trigger time' provided to the component as part of the application. Since 1588 clocks in all system components will be synchronized to a ...  more

An actuator is a device in a car that uses electricity to do some sort of automated mechanical movement- Such as power door locks or a remote trunk opener.  more