Dynamic Modeling and Simulation of the Internal- and External-Driven Spherical Robot

Abstract

This paper describes a prototype and analytical studies of a spherical rolling robot, a new design of a nonholonomic robot system. The spherical robot is driven together by an internal linear motor, continuously changing the center of gravity, and external wind thrust. A mathematical model of the robot’s motion was developed using Maggi’s equations without the Lagrange’s multipliers from a view of the nonholonomic constraint. An obstacle avoidance experiment was carried out to analyze the law of motion of the robot driven three ways: external wind driven, internal motor driven, and a combination of both. The results demonstrate that the proposed dynamic model is valid for the spherical robots driven by the different ways for environmental exploration.