# Hardware-as-Regularization: Improving Imitation Learning Data Consistency with an Adjustable Passive Compliant Leader Arm

- Source: arXiv cs.RO
- Published: 2026-10-19T04:00:00.000Z
- RoboHot: https://robohot.news/en/items/tmfkawfd1hray9rmdgbeyb3ku
- Original: https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.22977

## Summary

An arXiv paper proposes the Hardware-as-Regularization method, which uses a low-cost passive joint module (an adjustable mechanical clutch plus a 3D-printed spiral spring) to pull each joint toward a user-defined neutral posture, so that the passive restoring force acts as a physical prior for joint-space L2 regularization.