Modern robotics begins with the right drive. The history of the frameless motor from TQ-RoboDrive leads directly back to the roots of lightweight robotics at German Aerospcae Center (DLR). There, the technological foundation was created for precise, sensitive, and collaborative robotic systems.
Characteristics of a frameless motor
A frameless motor is a brushless electric motor without its own housing, consisting of a rotor and stator as separate components that are directly integrated into the structure of a machine or robot joint. Unlike conventional motors with their own housing (“frame”), a frameless motor blends completely into the surrounding construction. The resulting advantages are maximum compactness and an exceptionally high torque-to-weight ratio.
These very qualities make the frameless motor the ideal drive solution, for example for robot arms, exoskeletons, collaborative robots (cobots), and medical systems—anywhere compactness, weight, and precision are critical. TQ-RoboDrive has been developing and manufacturing frameless motors for more than two decades, specifically for demanding robotic systems.
The origins: robotics research at the DLR
The origin of TQ-RoboDrive’s frameless motor technology lies in the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). As early as the beginning of the 2000s, key foundations for sensitive lightweight robotics were established there.
In 2003, DLR developed a new generation of torque-controlled robotics with the lightweight robot LBR III. In parallel, key technologies such as highly integrated torque sensing were created, later industrialized through spin-offs such as Sensodrive and still used today in modern robotic systems. These developments formed the technological basis for the industrial use of frameless motors from TQ.
An early milestone in space
In 2005, the close collaboration between TQ-Systems and DLR began. The goal was to transform the frameless motors developed at DLR into robust, industrially usable solutions.
That same year, the technology proved itself under extreme conditions: in the robotic arm ROKVISS on the International Space Station (ISS). The two-jointed robot with a gripper carried out precise experiments in zero gravity. Between 2005 and 2010, ROKVISS completed around 500 successful tests. This demonstrated early on that the compact and precise drive technology could be used reliably not only in the laboratory, but also under real extreme conditions.
Building industrial solutions with TQ
Based on the joint development work, RoboDrive was founded as a spin-off in 2005. The aim was to further develop the frameless motors developed at DLR and the associated drive technology specifically for industrial applications and make them available. The founders were Manfred Schedl and Detlef Schneider, Managing Director of TQ-Systems.
This meant that TQ was closely involved from the outset in the industrial further development of frameless motor technology. Since 2006, TQ-Systems has been producing its own frameless motors in the ILM series.
Contribution to surgical robotics
DLR’s frameless motor technology also played an important role in surgical robotics. With MIRO, a modular, lightweight robotic arm for minimally invasive procedures was created in 2008. Since its development, RoboDrive’s frameless ILM motors have been installed in it to this day. Building on this, DLR developed the MiroSurge platform, which enables surgeons to control multiple robotic arms via a haptic console. This DLR technology was licensed to the medical technology company Medtronic. This led to the robot-assisted surgical system Hugo RAS, which received CE certification in 2021.
Contribution to humanoid robotics
An important example of the impact of frameless motor technology is the humanoid walking robot TORO (Torque-controlled humanoid Robot), which DLR presented for the first time in 2013. It was developed as a research platform for dynamic walking, balancing, whole-body control, and force-controlled interactions with the environment.
TORO used the frameless DLR-LWR drive units ILM50, ILM70, and ILM85, making it an exemplary case of the transition from lightweight robotics to humanoid systems.
From the DLR lightweight robot to the Franka Emika Panda
The lightweight robotics developed at DLR not only shaped robotic systems such as the KUKA LBR, but also the further development of sensitive and collaborative robots. This research tradition later gave rise to the Franka Emika Panda, whose technological roots likewise lie in DLR’s torque-controlled lightweight robotics. From 2017, TQ manufactured the complete cobot in series at its Durach site. In doing so, TQ continued the shared development history on another level: while TQ-RoboDrive industrialized and further developed the frameless motor technology that emerged from the DLR environment, TQ simultaneously took over the production of a complete robot from the same technological tradition.
This closes the loop from DLR basic research via the KUKA LBR to the Franka Emika Panda: TQ combines the industrial further development of highly integrated frameless motors with the experience gained from the series production of modern collaborative robotic systems.
A frameless motor is a brushless electric motor without its own housing, consisting of a separate rotor and stator. Both components are integrated directly into the design of a machine or robot joint. This makes it possible to create especially compact and lightweight drives with high torque density — for example, for robotic arms, cobots, humanoid robots, and medical systems.
The RoboDrive technology originates from robotics research at the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It was originally developed there for lightweight, sensitive, and torque-controlled robotic systems. This research work laid the technological foundation for today’s frameless motors from TQ-RoboDrive.
The German Aerospace Center established essential scientific and technological foundations for RoboDrive technology. In DLR lightweight robots, compact frameless motors were combined with torque sensing and precise control to create highly integrated robot joints. This research work laid the foundation for the later industrialization of the technology by RoboDrive and TQ.
The history of RoboDrive began in 2005 with the transfer of drive technology developed at DLR into industrial applications. Since then, the frameless motors have been continuously further developed specifically for the high demands of modern robotics. TQ has been producing motors in the ILM series since 2006; in 2012, RoboDrive was fully integrated into TQ-Systems as its own business unit.
ROKVISS was a two-joint robotic arm developed by the DLR and used on the International Space Station from 2005 to 2010. It was used to test highly integrated robotics components and the underlying drive technology under real conditions in space. ROKVISS completed around 500 tests and demonstrated early on that the compact and precise actuators also function reliably under extreme conditions.
TORO stands for Torque-controlled humanoid Robot and is a research platform of the German Aerospace Center. The humanoid robot, introduced in 2013, was developed for dynamic walking, balancing, whole-body control, and force-controlled interactions. Its drive units used frameless motors from the ILM series.
The DLR MIRO robotic arm uses frameless motors from RoboDrive's ILM series. The compact, lightweight, torque-controlled robotic arm was developed for medical applications and minimally invasive procedures. MIRO also forms the basis of DLR's MiroSurge research platform, whose technological principles were later transferred to the development of commercial surgical robots.
TQ-RoboDrive stands for the successful transfer of robotics research into industrial drive technology. Today, TQ-RoboDrive develops and produces frameless motors, custom actuators, and drive solutions for demanding applications. The focus is on high torque density, compact integration, precise controllability, and scalable series production.
