Hardware

Duty Cycle

Duty Cycle is the fraction of a period during which a signal or system is active. In pulse-width modulation, the duty cycle of a fixed-frequency square wave sets the average voltage delivered to a motor, and thus its torque or speed. The term also denotes an actuator's rated on-time fraction, the proportion of continuous operation a motor or robot can sustain without exceeding thermal limits.

Why it matters for physical AI

PWM duty cycles are the lowest-level interface between control software and actuators, while thermal duty ratings bound how hard learned controllers can drive hardware in sustained deployment without derating or failure.