Multi-Joint Control Unit: A Real-Time Robot Brain at 1 kHz

Aug 25, 2026By Ludu Robotics

The Multi-Joint Control Unit is the central nervous system of Ludu 3 — and it can be the brain of your robot too. It merges high-level AI compute with hard real-time joint control on one board set.

Multi-joint control unit software interface

Architecture

  • Main compute: Intel NUC i7-1370P or RK3588, with optional NVIDIA Jetson Thor for on-board AI
  • Real-time control: AMD Artix-7 XC7A50T FPGA
  • Imaging: HiPNUC IMU for attitude estimation
  • Capacity: 60+ joints controlled at 1,000 Hz

Why FPGA matters

Walking balance, compliant contact and fast recovery all depend on control loops that never miss a deadline. The Artix-7 FPGA keeps the 1 kHz joint loop deterministic even while the main CPU runs perception, speech or your business logic — a separation that software-only controllers cannot guarantee.

Control unit and wiring inside the robot torso

An open software stack

The unit runs Ubuntu 22.04 and exposes the full stack: CAN FD MIT protocol for joints, ROS 2 drivers, the RL training framework and URDF models. ODM customers receive documentation and hands-on support, so your team can build on it from day one.

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