Space, Vehicles & Robotics terms

41 Space, Vehicles & Robotics terms explained in plain English.

ActuatorAn actuator is the component that makes a machine move.
Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS)Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) are electronic systems in vehicles that use sensors, cameras, radar, lidar, and AI to monitor the vehicle's environment and assist (or in some cases automate) driving tasks to improve safety and comfort.
Automotive radarAutomotive radar is a sensor in cars that sends out radio waves and measures their reflections to detect other vehicles, pedestrians, and obstacles, along with their distance and speed.
Autonomous mobile robot (AMR)An autonomous mobile robot (AMR) is a wheeled robot that navigates on its own, using sensors and onboard maps to move materials around warehouses, factories, hospitals, and stores.
Autonomous NavigationAutonomous navigation is the capability of a robot, vehicle, or system to determine its position, plan a route to a destination, and execute that route through a real-world environment without human control: avoiding obstacles, adapting to changes in the environment, and re-planning as needed.
Autonomous Vehicle (Self-Driving Car)An autonomous vehicle, commonly called a self-driving car, is a vehicle that uses sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence to drive itself with limited or no human input.
Battery RangeBattery range is the maximum distance an electric vehicle (EV) can travel on a fully charged battery under a given set of conditions.
Cobot (Collaborative Robot)A cobot (collaborative robot) is a type of industrial robot specifically designed to operate safely in direct proximity to human workers: sharing the same workspace, working on the same tasks, and interacting with people without requiring safety cages or barriers.
CubeSatA CubeSat is a small satellite built to a standard size: units of 10 by 10 by 10 centimetres, called '1U,' which can be combined into larger sizes such as 3U or 6U.
Digital Twin (Operations)A digital twin is a dynamic virtual replica of a physical asset, process, or system that is continuously updated with real-time data from sensors on the physical counterpart.
Direct-to-cell satelliteDirect-to-cell satellite service lets ordinary smartphones connect straight to satellites when they're out of range of cell towers, with no special phone or dish.
Drive-by-wireDrive-by-wire means a vehicle's controls, such as the accelerator, brakes, and steering, send electronic signals to motors and actuators instead of moving parts through mechanical cables, rods, or hydraulics.
Earth observation satelliteAn Earth observation satellite is a spacecraft that collects images or measurements of the Earth's surface, oceans, and atmosphere from orbit.
eVTOLAn eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft uses electric motors and multiple rotors or tilting propellers to rise straight up, fly forward like a small plane, and land vertically.
Fleet ManagementFleet management encompasses the processes, systems, and technology used by organizations to coordinate and optimize a fleet of vehicles or mobile assets, including cars, vans, trucks, buses, construction equipment, or forklifts.
Geostationary orbit (GEO)A geostationary orbit (GEO) is a circular orbit about 35,786 kilometres above the equator where a satellite takes exactly one day to circle the Earth, so it appears fixed in the sky.
GPS / GNSSGPS (Global Positioning System) is the US satellite navigation network.
Humanoid robotA humanoid robot is a robot shaped roughly like a person, with a torso, two arms, hands, a head, and usually two legs.
Industrial IoTIndustrial IoT (IIoT) is the application of internet-connected sensors, actuators, data analytics, and AI to industrial operations, including manufacturing plants, power grids, oil and gas infrastructure, logistics networks, and agriculture.
Industry 4.0Industry 4.0 describes the integration of digital technologies into manufacturing and industrial operations.
Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellationA low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation is a large network of satellites orbiting a few hundred to about 2,000 kilometres above Earth, working together to provide services such as internet access.
MicromobilityMicromobility refers to small, lightweight vehicles, usually limited to roughly 25 to 32 km/h and designed for one person, such as bicycles, e-bikes, and e-scooters, used for short trips.
Over-the-Air Vehicle UpdatesOver-the-air (OTA) vehicle updates are software and firmware updates delivered wirelessly to a connected vehicle via the internet: analogous to automatic software updates on a smartphone.
Predictive MaintenancePredictive maintenance is the practice of using data from sensors, operating logs, and machine learning models to forecast when a piece of equipment is likely to fail or require service: allowing maintenance to be performed at the optimal time before failure, rather than after it (reactive) or on a fixed calendar schedule (preventive).
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is a specialised industrial computer designed to automate machinery, production processes, and physical systems in demanding environments.
Reusable rocketA reusable rocket is a launch vehicle, or part of one, designed to return safely after launch so it can be refurbished and flown again, instead of falling into the ocean.
Robot Operating System (ROS)The Robot Operating System (ROS) is a free, open-source set of software libraries and tools for building robots.
RobotaxiA robotaxi is a driverless vehicle that carries paying passengers on demand, usually booked through an app like a ride-hailing service.
RoboticsRobotics is the field of designing, building, and using robots: machines that can perform tasks automatically or with minimal human guidance.
SAE levels of driving automationThe SAE levels of driving automation are a six-step scale, from Level 0 to Level 5, defined by the engineering group SAE International to describe how much of the driving a car does.
SCADASCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is a category of industrial control system (ICS) used to remotely monitor, control, and record data from distributed physical infrastructure, including power grids, water treatment plants, oil and gas pipelines, manufacturing facilities, and transport networks.
Sensor FusionSensor fusion is the process of combining data from multiple different sensors (each with its own strengths and limitations) to produce a more accurate, reliable, and complete model of the environment or system being measured.
Sim-to-real transferSim-to-real transfer is the process of training a robot's skills in a computer simulation and then making them work on a real robot.
SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping)SLAM, short for simultaneous localization and mapping, is the technique that lets a robot, drone, headset, or phone build a map of a place it has never seen while working out where it is inside that map at the same time.
Software-defined vehicle (SDV)A software-defined vehicle (SDV) is a car whose features, from driver assistance to battery management and infotainment, are controlled mainly by software running on a few powerful central computers rather than dozens of separate fixed-function modules.
Space debrisSpace debris, or space junk, is human-made material left in orbit that no longer serves a purpose: dead satellites, discarded rocket stages, and fragments from collisions and explosions.
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR)Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an imaging technique where a radar on a moving satellite or aircraft sends microwave pulses to the ground and combines the echoes to act like a much larger antenna.
TelematicsTelematics combines telecommunications and informatics to transmit data from vehicles to a central system in real time.
TeleoperationTeleoperation is controlling a machine remotely, with a person watching live video and sensor data and sending commands over a network or radio link.
V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything)V2X (vehicle-to-everything) is a family of wireless communication technologies that enable vehicles to exchange real-time data with other vehicles (V2V), road infrastructure like traffic signals and road sensors (V2I), pedestrians and cyclists carrying devices (V2P), and cellular networks for cloud connectivity (V2N).
Vision-language-action model (VLA)A vision-language-action model (VLA) is an AI model that combines what a robot sees (vision), instructions in plain language, and the movements needed to act (actions) in one system.