Hardware

Fixed-Base Manipulator

A fixed-base manipulator is a robotic arm rigidly mounted to a stationary structure such as a table, pedestal, or cell floor, in contrast to mobile manipulators whose base can move. The fixed base provides a stable inertial reference, simplifying kinematics, calibration, and control, at the cost of a workspace bounded by the arm's reach. Most industrial arms and research platforms like the Franka Panda are used in this configuration.

Why it matters for physical AI

Fixed-base arms are where most manipulation datasets and benchmarks originate, so policies must eventually bridge the gap from this controlled setting to mobile bases with shifting viewpoints and unmodeled base motion.