actuator

What This Skill Does

The actuator skill is a specialized tool within the OpenClaw ecosystem designed for mechanical and systems engineers tasked with actuator selection and sizing. It functions as a lightweight, terminal-based calculator that tracks technical requirements, enables rapid iteration of selection parameters, and maintains a structured repository of candidate actuators. By providing a command-line interface to manage technical data, it allows engineers to perform calculations, log potential components, and analyze the feasibility of various mechanical solutions without leaving their development environment.

Installation

To integrate this skill into your OpenClaw environment, execute the following command in your terminal:

clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/ckchzh/actuator

Once installed, ensure your shell environment is configured correctly. You may customize the data storage location by setting the ACTUATOR_DIR variable via the config command: scripts/script.sh config ACTUATOR_DIR /path/to/your/storage.

Use Cases

This skill is ideal for rapid prototyping and mechanical design workflows. Primary use cases include:

• Iterative Sizing: Calculating the required torque, force, or travel distance for robotic joints or industrial automation tasks.
• Component Tracking: Keeping a running list of different actuator models under consideration during the design phase.
• Design Reviews: Exporting calculated lists to share with stakeholders or for inclusion in design documentation.
• Statistical Comparison: Comparing performance metrics across multiple candidate actuators stored within the application.

Example Prompts

1. "OpenClaw, use the actuator skill to calculate the required torque for a 5kg load at a 20cm extension and add it to my list."
2. "List all actuators currently saved in the database and show me the summary statistics."
3. "Export my current selection of actuator options to a JSON file so I can review them with the mechanical engineering team."

Tips & Limitations

• Data Integrity: Because the skill uses JSONL format for storage, ensure you do not manually edit the files in ~/.actuator/ while the script is running to avoid corruption.
• Directory Management: Always define a custom ACTUATOR_DIR if you are working in a team environment to ensure data persistence across different sessions.
• Performance: While the tool is efficient for hundreds of entries, performance may degrade with thousands of entries; clean your data regularly using the remove command.
• Formatting: Ensure your environment supports UTF-8 to correctly display the output from the status and list commands.