What does holonomic mean?

Able to move in every direction it has freedom in, independently and at once. A holonomic robot on a floor can move forwards, move sideways and turn in any combination; a car is non-holonomic, because it cannot move sideways without manoeuvring.

In a lesson

A car has three degrees of freedom on the floor (x, y and heading) and two controls, and it cannot use them independently: to move sideways it must drive forwards and backwards several times. That is a non-holonomic vehicle, and parallel parking is the everyday proof.

Learn it

Used in

Do the lesson in the simulator

All glossary terms