A High-Speed Capable Spherical Robot

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel spherical robot design capable of high-speed motion up to 10 m/s, demonstrating improved stability, obstacle-crossing, and terrain robustness through practical experiments.

Contribution

The paper presents a new spherical robot structure with a momentum wheel aligned with the secondary pendulum, enabling stable high-speed motion and enhanced performance.

Findings

Achieved stable high-speed motion at 10 m/s in experiments

Enhanced obstacle-crossing and terrain robustness

Simple decoupled control enables high-speed stability

Abstract

This paper designs a new spherical robot structure capable of supporting high-speed motion at up to 10 m/s. Building upon a single-pendulum-driven spherical robot, the design incorporates a momentum wheel with an axis aligned with the secondary pendulum, creating a novel spherical robot structure. Practical experiments with the physical prototype have demonstrated that this new spherical robot can achieve stable high-speed motion through simple decoupled control, which was unattainable with the original structure. The spherical robot designed for high-speed motion not only increases speed but also significantly enhances obstacle-crossing performance and terrain robustness.