Ballbot and Ralph Hollis

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new type of mobile robot that balances on a ball instead of legs or wheels. “Ballbot” is a self-contained, battery-operated, omnidirectional robot that balances dynamically on a single urethane-coated metal sphere. It weighs 95 pounds and is the approximate height and width of a person. Because of its long, thin shape and ability to maneuver in tight spaces, it has the potential to function better than current robots can in environments with people.

“We wanted to create a robot that can maneuver easily and is tall enough to look you in the eye,” Ralph Hollis said. “Ballbot is tall and skinny, with a much higher center of gravity than traditional wheeled robots. Because it is omnidirectional, it can move easily in any direction without having to turn first.”

Ballbot has an onboard computer that reads balance information from its internal sensors, activating rollers that mobilize the ball on which it moves — a system that is essentially an inverse mouse-ball drive. When Ballbot is not in operation, it stands in place on three retractable legs.

Hollis noted that current legged robots, such as humanoids, are complex and expensive. He’s looking for simple alternatives to better understand the issues of dynamic stability for mobile robots in human environments. He believes that the research may produce a robot that could have useful, meaningful interactions with people who are elderly, disabled or need assistance in an office environment.

Read the whole article, especially all the good stuff about Ralph Hollis. He’s been at this forever — a founder of modern robotics.