pic: 2003 TechnoKat Ball Drive : Patent Pending

[Andy Baker]

Originally posted by Jnadke
Are the balls air-filled or solid rubber? If they are air-filled, how thick is the skin?

I'd imagine the drivetrain is optimized with speed in mind rather than torque. How much torque can you exert on the surface of the ball before it slips?

The balls are 8" steel "gazing balls" (hollow) that you can buy from a home deco store (we got them for $6 per ball at Homier.com). These balls have urethane molded over them at about a 1/4" thickness. They are about +/- 0.003" out of round. They dent if dropped, and weigh about 3-4 lbs each. They are not inflatable.

This drivetrain is optimized for mobility. The speed and power is less than an optimized track drive robot... but this thing can go from travelling straight to turning right of left with absolutely no delay.

As for how much torque this can put out or how much torque a ball can handle... we don't know yet.

Andy B.