Could a single motion-control platform bring together movement, sensing, communication, and AI processing in humanoid robots? The answer may change robot design.
As humanoid robots and autonomous mobile platforms become more complex, designers face growing challenges in achieving synchronized motion, low-latency communication, and scalable multi-axis control. NXP‘s Motor and Motion Control for Humanoids and Mobile Robots reference design addresses these requirements with a distributed motion-control architecture built for robotic joints, arms, dexterous hands, collaborative robots, and mobile robotic platforms.
The platform combines real-time processing, motor control, networking, and sensing into a single architecture. It enables designers to build systems ranging from individual joint modules to full humanoid robots with multiple synchronized axes.
A key feature is deterministic communication through Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and EtherCAT. These technologies help maintain synchronization between distributed motor controllers and centralized compute platforms, reducing communication delays that can affect robot stability and motion accuracy. The architecture supports both centralized and distributed control topologies, giving engineers flexibility when designing robotic limbs, arms, and mobile platforms.
For motor control, the design supports brushless DC (BLDC) and permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM). Field-Oriented Control (FOC) algorithms enable precise control of torque, speed, and position, making the platform suitable for robotic joints that require smooth and repeatable movement. The solution can scale from single-axis applications to complex kinematic chains found in humanoid robots.
The reference design also integrates a range of sensing interfaces. High-speed current sensing, multiple ADC channels, and support for industrial encoder standards allow designers to implement accurate position and motion feedback. These capabilities are important for applications such as robotic arms, dexterous hands, and autonomous mobile systems that rely on precise motion control.
Security and reliability are built into the platform through secure boot, device authentication, secure firmware updates, and protected communication between distributed motor-control nodes. The design also includes fault-detection and protection mechanisms to support robotic systems that require high operational reliability.
Another notable aspect is compatibility with NVIDIA Holoscan Sensor Bridge (HSB). The HSB-ready software architecture enables high-speed sensor data movement between edge devices and centralized AI compute systems, helping designers combine perception, sensor fusion, and motion control in next-generation humanoid robots. This integration supports real-time decision-making while maintaining deterministic motor control.
For design engineers developing humanoid robots, collaborative robots, or autonomous mobile machines, this reference design provides a framework for implementing synchronized motion control, deterministic networking, secure communication, and AI-enabled sensor integration while reducing development complexity and development time.
NXP has tested this reference design. It comes with a bill of materials (BOM), schematics, assembly drawing, printed circuit board (PCB) layout, and more. The company’s website has additional data about the reference design. To read more about this reference design, click here.
