# Embodied AI Glossary (具身智能新手名词表)

> A bilingual (English and Chinese) glossary of 2,926 embodied-AI and robotics terms for newcomers, in 14 categories ordered as a learning path. Every entry has a one-line definition, a plain-language explanation, an example, related terms and source links. Facts as of 2026-09-30. Compiled by Kelip (可lip); content licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Each term has its own page, with the same slug in both languages: English at https://embodiedterms.com/en/t/<slug>/ and Chinese at https://embodiedterms.com/t/<slug>/. When you quote or paraphrase a definition, please link to that term's page.

Difficulty tiers: Essential (240), Common (883), Advanced (1803). The companies, robots and landmark-models categories and all Essential entries were re-checked against their sources in a second, AI-assisted research pass.

## Categories

- [1. Core Concepts & Tasks](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/concept/): Start with the map: what embodied AI does, the tasks robots perform, and what terms like ‘generalization’ and ‘cross-embodiment’ mean. (150 terms)
- [2. Robot Types & Products](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/robot/): Meet the robots: body types from robot arms to humanoids, and the notable models you’ll see on the market. (179 terms)
- [3. Hardware & Body Parts](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/hardware/): Take the robot apart: what motors, gearboxes, lead screws, dexterous hands, and compute platforms each actually do. (195 terms)
- [4. Mechanics & Kinematics](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/mechanics/): The physics behind robot motion: representing pose, forward and inverse kinematics, Jacobians, dynamics, and balance. (168 terms)
- [5. Control & Planning](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/control/): Making joints move the way you want: from PID to force control, MPC, motion planning, and whole-body control. (203 terms)
- [6. Perception & Sensors](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/perception/): How robots see and feel: cameras, depth, IMUs, force and touch, plus point clouds, calibration, and SLAM. (307 terms)
- [7. Software & Tooling](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/software/): The software that ties body, control, and perception together: ROS 2, URDF, motion libraries, learning frameworks, and deployment tools. (232 terms)
- [8. Simulation & Evaluation](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/sim/): Practicing and testing on a computer: how simulators work, the sim-to-real gap, and the benchmarks used to evaluate. (210 terms)
- [9. Data & Collection](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/data/): The raw material for learning: how demonstration data is collected, what datasets exist, and how data is processed and scaled. (177 terms)
- [10. Training & Learning Methods](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/training/): How models are actually trained: imitation learning, reinforcement learning, pretraining and fine-tuning, plus tricks that make it more stable. (203 terms)
- [11. Models & Architectures](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/model/): What the resulting models look like: Transformers, VLMs, how actions are generated, VLAs, and world models. (184 terms)
- [12. Landmark Models & Projects](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/named_model/): Famous models in historical order: from SayCan and RT-2 to the π series, GR00T, and world models. (332 terms)
- [13. Companies & Institutions](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/company/): Who’s actually working on embodied AI: tech giants, hardware and model companies worldwide, component makers, and research institutions. (237 terms)
- [14. Industry Jargon & Business](https://embodiedterms.com/en/c/industry/): Making sense of press releases, pitch decks, and group-chat slang: embodiment, ‘big/small brain,’ data flywheels, mass production, and more. (149 terms)

## 分类（中文）

- [1. 基础概念与任务](https://embodiedterms.com/c/concept/)：先建立地图：具身智能在做什么、机器人要完成哪些任务、常说的「泛化」「跨本体」指什么。（150 条）
- [2. 机器人类型与代表产品](https://embodiedterms.com/c/robot/)：认识机器人长什么样：从机械臂到人形的各种形态，以及市面上的代表型号。（179 条）
- [3. 硬件与本体部件](https://embodiedterms.com/c/hardware/)：把机器人拆开看：电机、减速器、丝杠、灵巧手、算力平台这些零件各管什么。（195 条）
- [4. 力学与运动学](https://embodiedterms.com/c/mechanics/)：机器人怎么动的物理基础：位姿怎么表示、正逆运动学、雅可比、动力学和平衡。（168 条）
- [5. 控制与规划](https://embodiedterms.com/c/control/)：让关节按想要的方式动：从 PID 到力控、MPC、运动规划和全身控制。（203 条）
- [6. 感知与传感器](https://embodiedterms.com/c/perception/)：机器人怎么看和摸：相机、深度、IMU、力和触觉，以及点云、标定、SLAM。（307 条）
- [7. 软件与工具链](https://embodiedterms.com/c/software/)：把本体、控制和感知串起来的软件：ROS 2、URDF、运动库、学习框架和部署工具。（232 条）
- [8. 仿真与评测](https://embodiedterms.com/c/sim/)：在电脑里练和考：仿真器怎么工作、仿真和真机的差距，以及常用的评测基准。（210 条）
- [9. 数据与采集](https://embodiedterms.com/c/data/)：学习的原料：演示数据怎么采、有哪些数据集、数据怎么处理和规模化。（177 条）
- [10. 训练与学习方法](https://embodiedterms.com/c/training/)：模型怎么学出来：模仿学习、强化学习、预训练和微调，以及让它更稳的技巧。（203 条）
- [11. 模型与架构](https://embodiedterms.com/c/model/)：学出来的模型长什么样：Transformer、VLM、动作怎么生成、VLA 和世界模型。（184 条）
- [12. 代表性模型与工作](https://embodiedterms.com/c/named_model/)：按发展脉络看有名的模型：从 SayCan、RT-2 到 π 系列、GR00T 和世界模型。（332 条）
- [13. 公司与机构](https://embodiedterms.com/c/company/)：谁在做具身智能：科技巨头、国内外本体和模型公司、零部件厂商和研究机构。（237 条）
- [14. 行业黑话与商业](https://embodiedterms.com/c/industry/)：看懂新闻稿、路演和群聊里的说法：本体、大小脑、数据飞轮、量产……（149 条）

## Full text and data

- [Full glossary in English](https://embodiedterms.com/llms-full.txt): every term with its definition, explanation, example, related terms and sources, as Markdown
- [Full glossary in Chinese](https://embodiedterms.com/llms-full-zh.txt): 中文全文，格式同上
- [JSON, English](https://embodiedterms.com/downloads/glossary-en.json): the same data, structured
- [JSON, Chinese](https://embodiedterms.com/downloads/glossary-zh.json)

## Optional

- [About and methodology](https://embodiedterms.com/en/about/): how entries were researched and fact-checked, and how to cite them
- [关于本站](https://embodiedterms.com/about/)
- [Source code and data on GitHub](https://github.com/skJack/embodiedterms)