Comparison

There are multiple differences between the Canadarm, Canadarm2, and the Canadarm3. For example, the Canadarm's range of motion is limited to the arm's length. However, the  other 2 Canadarms can move around the ISS and (will) be able to move around the Lunar Gateway, respectively. This is a comparison between the 3 Canadarm models.

 Canadarm:
The Canadarm's range of motion is like the human arm's; It is limited to the arm's length fully extended. It is fixed to whatever it is controlled on, may it be the space shuttle or the ISS. It is a bit like the human arm; It has 6 degrees of freedom, which are kind of like joints. There are 2 joints in the shoulder, 1 in the elbow, and 3 in the wrist. The elbow can only rotate 160 degrees. It has no senses. It is 15 meters long and its mass is 410 kg. The composite boom's diameter is 35 cm. It can move 60 cm/s when unloaded and 6 cm/s loaded. It is made of 16 layers of high modulus carbon fibre epoxy. It is repaired on Earth and is controlled by astronauts on the shuttle. There are 2 cameras; one on the elbow and one on the wrist. It is controlled by the United States.

Canadarm2:
The Canadarm2 is able to move between ends on the International Space Station. It is not fixed to an end. It is extremely similar to a human arm; 3 degrees of freedom in the shoulder, 1 in the elbow and 3 in the wrist. Each of the 7 joints can rotate 270 degrees in either direction. It has collision avoidance and a sense of touch. It is 17 meters long when fully extended and has a mass of 1,497 kg, more than 3x the original Canadarm's. The exterior diameter of composite boom’s diameter is 35 cm. It moves 37 cm/s unloaded, 2 cm/s loaded during ground control, 15 cm/s for support during spacewalks. It moves 37 cm/s unloaded, 2 cm/s loaded during groundcontrol, 15 cm/s for support during spacewalks. It is repaired in space, is controlled from either Earth or the ISS, has 4 colour cameras and control is shared between Canada and the U.S.

Canadarm3:
The Canadarm 3 will be able to move end to end on the Lunar Gateway, an upcoming space station in lunar orbit. It isn't fixed to anything. It is extremely similar to a human arm; 3 degrees of freedom in the shoulder, 1 in the elbow and 3 in the wrist. Each joint can rotate nearly 360 degrees. It has automatic collision avoidance and sense of “touch” thanks to force-moment sensors and can map its surroundings with a 3D vision tool. When fully extended, it is 8.5 meters long. Its Mass is estimated to be 715 kg. The exterior diameter of composite boom’s diameter is 23 cm. It can move 10 cm/s unloaded and the loaded speed is to be determined. It is made of carbon fibre composite. It can self-detach parts so that they can be repaired in the Lunar Gateway. It is mainly controlled autonomously (by itself) but can be controlled from Earth or the Gateway. It has 6 4K cameras and is controlled solely by Canada.