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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."
"single spherical wheel" = a ball
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..
welcome our big balled overlords
Similar, but different.
The overall concept is the same (in the sense that you have a system to balance and probably similar mathematics to do it), but the single point of contact with the ground makes for a different solution matrix. Segways need only balance in one dimension; this robot has to account for two, and it must solve for its balance with one manipulator. To add to the complexity, it must also navigate and motivate itself; a Segway's navigation system takes advantage of the sensors and processor installed in all of its cargo (a handy feature!) to offset the 'heavy lifting' of directional goals.
I believe this project may also pre-date the segway by a few years, if you look at the papers published on it.
Take care,
Mark
There is a solution...
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.
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
Huh? How does thinner = autmatically "much more suitable"? I just don't get it. We're used to working with people, and that extends to their personal space, which is substantially larger than the person. Who says that human/robot 'synergy' has anything to do with how fat the robot is?
Nevermind that all that active movement to keep standing upright means lots of battery drain, and irritating/distracting movement to said humans. We find coworkers that tap pens on their desks annoying, but they think this will 'fly'?
Oh, when the battery runs out of juice, or a motor (or its controller) goes dead- hilarity ensues...
Please help metamoderate.
Using a mechanism similar to a ball mouse
Pfft... Let me know when they've developed a mechanism similar to a laser mouse.
FTA:
"When Ballbot is not in operation, it stands in place on three retractable legs."
So 'nervous balance' motions won't be necessary, one could assume.
As for the thinness issue: it is precisely the personal space issue that makes a thin robot useful in a crowded public space. Our perception of personal space factors in the personal space of the other person. So a robot that is as wide as one's 'personal space bubble' causes people interacting with it to give it even more room. The thin chassis on this robot alleviates that problem by only taking up an amount of space roughly equivalent to the human torso, so that a person's "personal space guess" comes out accurately.
Take care,
Mark
There is a solution...
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.
There are some videos available on youtube, in case you want to spare them some bandwidth.
"You're everywhere. You're omnivorous."
Incorrect. Weeblots wobble, but they don't fall down.
That's an amusing mental picture:
A robot ends up dragging and whipping its body all over the lab, smashing and breaking things in an effort to right itself.
Of course, I assume they have it give up if it the torso passes a certain inclination.
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
That's a nice system. There are some annoying limitations, though. It's tough to change the orientation of the robot, although you can handle that if you have a rotational joint further up so you can rotate the torso. Small diameter balls have the same problems as small diameter wheels - it's easy to get stuck in small depressions. That's why the Segway has such big wheels. And driving a sphere is always a tough problem mechanically. Most of the solutions have trouble with dirt accumulating on the drive wheels, which is why optical mice have replaced ball mice. It's possible to build a spherical electric motor, and that might be the way to go if this concept turns out to be useful.
It's good to see all this activity in self-balancing systems again, having worked on this around 1994-1995, and seen others working on it in the 1980s. Today, you can buy so much of what you need off the shelf, like good INS units. We used to waste too much time building custom stuff.
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"
Tachiko-maaaa!
My daughter's obsessed w/ Tachikoma, as well. She's buying blue everything, to look like one. Her biggest dilemma right now in life, is whether to die her hair purple, (and thus resemble the Major,) or to die her hair blue (and thus resemble a Tachikoma.)
Knowing the folks at the robotics institute it'll be about 2 years before we see the army testing out a prototype robot that balances on a ball .... and then uses the ball to crush infantry while launching missiles.
CMU has a lot of great projects like that. Gladiator, Crusher... I know that most individual robot builders mean well, and I have friends who are anti-war at the RI, but seriously, look at who is actually demanding this technology and where it's being used. It's not being used to house the poor.
-bugg