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Balancing Act

Posted November 15, 2006 8:00 AM

What do you get when you combine a tall, skinny robot with an upside-down mouse ball? You get "Ballbot," an omni-directional robot that moves on a single metal sphere, and is tall enough to look you in the eye. Ballbot can take off in any direction, without turning first. The creator, Professor Ralph Hollis, hopes to press Ballbot into service assisting the elderly or disabled.

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Jim Young Active Contributor Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 15	#1 Re: Balancing Act 11/16/2006 4:53 PM
	I have seen a short video clip somewhere showing your BallBot, I found it very interesting! As to using it with the elderly or disabled, you would need to insure that your feedback / drive system is fast enough and with enough reserve drive power to exceed the forces applied if a person were to slip or fall and tried to use the BallBot for support. A ring surrounding the Ballot base ~1 to 2 cm above the floor could be activated down to the floor until the external force is removed. I can think of many other uses as well. ie, inspections in environments where a human could not survive without survival support equipment, or not at all (high radiation being one), the use in tight spaces, on and on... Congratulations!
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