RLS is a Slovenian company within the Renishaw group that specialises in magnetic and optical encoders. In robotics its products sit inside the joints: the encoder tells the controller how far the shaft has turned, and the quality of that signal governs smoothness of motion and safety of contact with people. The datasheets point to three families, each for a different place in a robot.
The RM08 is a miniature magnetic encoder only 8 mm in diameter and under 2 g, with ingress protection up to IP68. The maker states resolution up to 12 bits, accuracy up to ±0.3° and speeds up to 30,000 rpm. The system consists of a magnet and a separate sensor board, with no bearings or seals, and outputs can be analogue, incremental, SSI or voltage. Applications listed in the datasheet include grippers, motor control and pan/tilt positioning. The datasheet is issue 18 from February 2026.
The RLM is a component-level incremental encoder: a readhead working with a magnetic scale (up to 50 m) or axial and radial rings. System accuracy reaches ±10 µm, outputs are ABZ, SSI or BiSS C, and the sheet names medical robotic joints and gimbals as uses. The most "robotic" is the AksIM-2: an absolute off-axis encoder with a hollow ring, resolution up to 20 bits per revolution, an optional multiturn counter and a temperature range of -40 to +105°C. The hollow centre lets cables pass through the joint, and the maker lists collaborative robots and robotic joints among its applications.
Why does it matter for price and quality? An encoder is a small cost next to the motor and gearbox, but in a robot with a dozen or several dozen joints it becomes hundreds of units. A humanoid with 23 degrees of freedom, like the Unitree G1, needs at least as many encoders as it has driven joints, as we explain in “Degrees of Freedom (DOF) in Humanoid Robots”. The maker stresses that the non-contact design needs no bearings or seals. It is one of the building blocks described in “Actuators in Humanoid Robots”, alongside gearboxes from Harmonic Drive and motors from Faulhaber or Kollmorgen.
We have no source confirming RLS encoders in any specific robot in the Robolupa catalogue, so we assign them to no model; in cobots such as the UR10e from Universal Robots or the AUBO i10, encoders of this class simply exist in every joint. In Poland we have not confirmed an RLS distributor. The wider company context is in the entry on Renishaw. For makers of cobots it is a classic component supplier, not a partner for finished solutions.
Products
- Magnetic and optical encoders for robot joints
Sample specs
RM08 magnetic encoder: compact, sealed, resolution up to 12 bits, for motor control and industrial automation (source: RM08D01_18_ENG.pdf).
Relevance for integrators in Poland
Market overview for Polish integrators; the company does not build its own finished robots.