Harmonic Drive to explain integrated actuator benefits at RoboBusiness
At RoboBusiness 2026, Harmonic Drive's Marcel Almonte will discuss integrated drive actuator design and the tradeoffs between component-level and integrated motion architectures. The talk will explain how combining gearheads, motors, drives, and sensors can simplify system integration, cut cabling complexity, shorten testing, and speed time to market. It will also provide a framework for choosing motion solutions based on application requirements, communication protocols, performance targets, and system constraints.
Marcel Almonte works at Harmonic Drive as a mechatronics applications engineer, supporting its integrated actuator line through customer assistance, application engineering, and software work. He also builds tests for motor specifications and helps resolve software, electrical, and hardware issues alongside customers, sales, and design colleagues.
His background includes a 2022 electro-mechanical engineering degree from Wentworth Institute of Technology, with a minor in applied mathematics. He previously tested medical devices for CE compliance at Philips, handled field troubleshooting at Alert Innovation, and helped customers find custom motion solutions at Infranor USA.
If integrated actuator designs become more common, robotics developers and systems integrators could spend less time on wiring, testing, and commissioning, potentially bringing products to market sooner. Workers and users in manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and logistics may encounter more capable or affordable robotic systems as a result. The session’s framework may also help engineers make clearer tradeoffs, though actual societal effects will depend on how companies apply these architectures and whether performance, safety, and maintenance needs are met.