sphere bot

[Joe Matt]

When you say Sphere bots, not only do I think of Samus, but I think of a omni-directional robot that can change position and direction at any time. Any propulsion ideas?

[Squirrelrock]

Originally Posted by JosephM

When you say Sphere bots, not only do I think of Samus, but I think of a omni-directional robot that can change position and direction at any time. Any propulsion ideas?

Omni wheels. Set them at 45? to the sides of a square bot, and by changing the power to each wheel, you could theoretically control how fast and which direction the bot moved. If you wished to add an arm, then you could build a platform around the sphere at about 'waist' height. You could put the controls on the outside and have a pole sticking up and in to the exact center of the sphere above it. If you make the cord from this tower to the motors on the inside just a little bit longer than the shortest path around the sphere from the bottom to the tower, then the cord would roll itself around to the top side when needed. you may find a need to have a retractable cord (ie some sort of spring loaded winch) so that the length of the cord is not too long. the outer platform could be supported by teflon skids, or casters. Or, if you want to control the direction that the arm is pointing, then put omni wheels on the outside and power them, too. That would enable the outside to turn as well, but sort of ruins the idea of sphere propulsion.

i apologize for the disorganization of my thoughts, they usually happen that way . I've been working on this type of idea for about a year, on and off, but my team doesn't like it much. So, good luck to anyone who wants to try it, and tell me if works!


Squirrel