A single-scanning system for a robot can include a base and a nodding mechanism that pivotably attached to the base. A single-scan sensor such as a lidar or laser sensor can be fixed to the nodding mechanism, and a controller can be connected to the single-scan sensor and motor via a gear arrangement. The controller can manipulate nodding characteristics such as nodding range and nodding angular velocity dynamically, during operation of the robot, either in response to a command from a remote user, robot autonomy system, or according to written instructions included in the controller. An encoder disk can interconnect the nodding mechanism to the controller. With this configuration, the encoder disk can receive sensor data from the single-scan sensor, for further transmission to said controller. A transceiver can route sensor data to the remote user, and can also receive commands from the remote user.