Degrees of Freedom

Degrees of Freedom (DoF) define how many independent ways a robot can move. A rigid body in 3D space has six: three for position (X, Y, Z) and three for rotation (roll, pitch, yaw). Humanoid robots often include 30 to 40 or even more DoF, with multi-jointed limbs, articulated torsos, and expressive heads.

For comparison, the human body has over 200 skeletal DoF, though only about 80 are typically used in whole-body motion. The human hand alone contributes over 20.

This flexibility enables fluid motion, fine manipulation, and better balance, but also makes control harder. Each DoF adds complexity, requiring fast coordination across actuators and real-time feedback.