Overview
The Electric Motor serves the function of converting electrical energy into mechanical energy and vice-versa.
Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force. The reverse process, producing electrical energy from mechanical energy, is done by generators such as an alternator or a dynamo; some electric motors can also be used as generators.
The ideal GVCS (http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/GVCS) motor is one that meets OSE Spec (http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/OSE_Spec) for appropriate scale and ease of fabrication.
While many heavy-duty GVCS technologies are powered by Hydraulic Motors, many of the smaller, more precision actuation is left to Electrical Motors.