Math & Kinematics

Coriolis Forces

Coriolis forces are velocity-dependent inertial forces arising in robot dynamics from the coupling between joint velocities, appearing alongside centrifugal terms in the manipulator equation of motion as the Coriolis matrix multiplied by joint velocities. They grow quadratically with speed and couple motion across joints, so fast trajectories require their compensation in model-based controllers such as computed torque control. They vanish at zero velocity, which is why slow motions tolerate simpler control.

Why it matters for physical AI

Dynamic, high-speed skills like throwing and fast pick cycles demand controllers or learned models that account for velocity-coupled dynamics, a key sim-to-real consideration for aggressive learned motions.