Hardware

Reach

Reach is the maximum distance a robot's wrist or tool flange can extend from its base axis, defining the outer boundary of its workspace. Manufacturers quote horizontal and vertical reach, and the usable dexterous workspace, where full orientation control is available, is smaller than the reachable envelope. Reach trades off against stiffness, payload, and precision, since longer links amplify deflection and inertia.

Why it matters for physical AI

Reach determines workcell layout, part presentation, and whether a fixed arm can service a task at all, and it interacts with mobile bases that extend effective reach at the cost of localization uncertainty.