Harmonic Drive to share how integrated actuators can reduce engineering in RoboBusiness

Choosing the right motion architecture is one of the most important design decisions in robotics.

At RoboBusiness 2026, Marcel Almonte, a mechatronics applications engineer at Harmonic Drive, will lead the session “Integrated Design of Drive Actuators: Combining Gearboxes, Motor, Drive and Sensors for Smarter Motion.” RoboBusiness will take place on October 20 and 21 in Santa Clara, California. Almonte will give his speech on the first day of the show at 10:30 a.m. PT.

The session will examine the tradeoffs between component-level and integrated actuator architectures, helping engineers understand when each approach offers the best balance of performance, flexibility, and development efficiency.

Attendees will learn how integrated actuators can reduce engineering efforts by simplifying system integration, minimizing cable complexity, shortening testing and commissioning, and accelerating time to market. The session will also provide practical guidance on selecting motion solutions based on application requirements, communication protocols, performance objectives and overall system constraints. Its goal is to provide participants with a framework for making informed design decisions in next-generation robotic systems.

Meet Marcel Almonte of Harmonic Drive

Marcel Almonte is a mechatronics applications engineer with experience in several motion control application areas. At Harmonic Drive, he focuses on the company’s Integrated Actuator product offerings, including customer support, applications engineering and software development.

Almonte graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in electromechanical engineering and a minor in applied mathematics. During college, he worked as a quality and safety engineer at Philips, testing medical devices for CE compliance.

After graduating, Almonte worked as a field engineer at Alert Innovation, fixing hardware and software bugs and communicating issues to development teams. He later joined Infranor USA, a servo motor and drive sales office, helping customers find custom motion control solutions.

At Harmonic Drive, Marcel currently develops tests to verify motor specifications, troubleshoot software, electrical and hardware issues, and collaborates with customers, sales and design teams.

Register now for RoboBusiness

RoboBusiness 2026 is the leading event for commercial robotics developers. Attendees will be able to get the latest insights from robotics and AI experts on cutting-edge research; industry trends; and innovative applications in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, logistics and more.

The show also offers a number of networking opportunities to give attendees the chance to network with other industry experts.

Purchase your full conference pass and get full access to all keynotes, technical sessions, networking receptions and special events. Discounts are also available for the academic world, associations and corporate groups. Please send events via email[at]arrowfly.com for more details on our discount programs.