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Robot Balances on a Single Spherical Wheel
dalangalma writes "Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute have developed a new kind of robot called the Ballbot that balances on a steel ball. Using a mechanism similar to a ball mouse, the Ballbot uses rollers to drive its single, spherical wheel and balance in place or glide around the room. The promise of such dynamically stable robots is that they can be much taller without having to have a wide base, making them much more suitable for working with humans. They are also much more agile, since they can be pushed out of the way easily without falling over. You can read the press release or check out the project's web page when it recovers from traffic."
thanks, i was confused
re:"The promise of such dynamically stable robots is that they can be much taller without having to have a wide base, making them much more suitable for working with humans. "
Until said humans goes down a flight of stairs.
*Oof*
*Bounce*
*Expensive crashey noises*
At this rate we'll have-em screaming "exterminate" in no time.
(and yes I know post 2005 Daleks can do everything and go everywhere - I'm talking pre-video-game dalek)
Weebles wobble, but they don't take over humanity.
Other jokes could involve roll-on deodorant, or those kid's inflatable boxing dummies that flip back up when you hit them.
Neat design, really. I think a lot of people's first urge would be to try and push the robot over though, which like the old Weebles, may produce that same herky-jerky roll back to stability. I wonder how much gunk would build up in the mouse-wheel of those things though - be hard to turn it over to clean with that production model. Have to have some kind of door in it to clean without taking it out.
Ryan Fenton
Shrink this down and fill it with ink. An automatic pen! Well, it sounds good on paper...
Looks good for your age..
Help. I am a robot and I have fallen and I can't get up.
welcome our big balled overlords
You know, I've always hated that whenever I try to push a robot out of the way, I fall over.
This feature will be a boon to senior citizens especially.
I got my Linux laptop at System76.
Using a mechanism similar to a ball mouse
Pfft... Let me know when they've developed a mechanism similar to a laser mouse.
You remember how they have sex but you can't remember their name?.. ?
I can't count the times I've asked myself something similar in the morning.
Only the ones without legs
Letter To Iran
This thing should star in a 1960s Japanese movie.
*speaking into wrist communicator* Ballbot! TRANSFORM!
With the advent of robots that are immune to pushing, the eternal question becomes more relevant than ever: do you have stairs in your house?
In the videos they have threaded a big innertube over the structure, presumably to cushion the fall every time it tipped over.
Since the purpose of this structure is to interact with humans, They should just install big inflatable boobs and ass instead.
"Fix it"
What happens when the robot tilts forward and so needs to move forward to correct its balance, but runs into something before it has moved far enough to correct itself? Does it simply fall over?
My kids would probably take it down with a single Hotwheel toy. They took me down a few times that way. Too bad they are too young to sue.
Table-ized A.I.
In fact all sorts of sudden directional changes and steering become much simpler.
at first glance, maybe.
but think about this: i'm a bicycle mechanic, and tool around with various art bikes in my spare time. one idea i had was for a dual steering bike, where both wheels turned at the same time, synched up with rods and bearings. the goal was to make a bike that travels diagonally, or even sideways, once the balance issues are worked out. as i thought about this, it occured to me that if i was riding along at a steady pace on a northerly heading--say 10 mph, and turned the bars to the west a little bit--turning both wheels in the same direction--the bike and me aren't gonna all of a sudden gonna be travelling in a northwest heading. the bike and i have momentum built up, as well the wheels act as gyroscopes, which aren't all that easy to turn while they're spinning. as i go to turn the bars, i'll be tweaking the bike and me in the direction/amount i've tried to turn the bars. the bike and i will continue heading north, but we'll be sort of doglegged, riding sideways... i couldn't figure out how to get past this, so i abandoned the project...
we'll make it optical, that'll solve the problem!
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random