I would like to know the actuator (servo) position. I guess that I could use two encoders, but as the precision which I would need is only about 8 bits, a single encoder after the reducer would be more compact. Is it in principle possible with SimpleFOC? Would not it rather need high precision angular data for a reliable control? How would it react to an additional source of noise between a motor and an encoder?
There are some attempts at printing backdrivable cycloidal drivers, for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWp5dkeHgTY .