BallIP

A blue ball with a frame full of electronics gripping it holds a gold tray stacked with drink glasses.
This robot is a waiter and an entertainer. Photo: Tohoku Gakuin University

BallIP (short for "ball inverted pendulum") is a robot that balances on a ball. It's designed to explore the feasibility of dynamic balancing systems. More important, it would make a great cocktail waiter.

Creator

Tohoku Gakuin University

Year
2008
Country
Japan 🇯🇵
Categories
Features
A robot that balances on a ball. Video: Tohoku Gakuin University

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Appearance

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Did you know?

The ball the robot rides on is a rubber-coated bowling ball.

3 robots with balls for bases, one with two legs, and one with wheels.
BallIP's extended family. Photo: Tohoku Gakuin University

History

Masaaki Kumagai, director of the Robot Development Engineering Laboratory at Tohoku Gakuin University, in Tagajo City, Japan, has built wheeled robots, crawling robots, quadruped robots, biped robots, and biped robots on roller skates. Then one day a student suggested they build a robot that would balance on a ball. Dr. Kumagai thought it was a wonderful idea. The robot they built rides on a rubber-coated bowling ball, which is driven by three omnidirectional wheels. The robot can not only stand still but also move in any direction and pivot around its vertical axis. It can work as a mobile tray to transport objects and it can also serve as an omnidirectional supporting platform to help people carry heavy objects. They named the robot BallIP, short for Ball Inverted Pendulum.

Specs

Overview

Able to support payloads of up to 15 kg (33 lb). Has autonomous and remote-control operation modes.

Status

Ongoing

Year

2008

Website
Width
26 cm
Height
65 cm (including ball)
Length
26 cm
Weight
12.5 kg (including ball)
Speed
3.6 km/h (max)
Sensors

Attitude sensors, two gyroscopes, two accelerometers.

Actuators

Three omnidirectional wheels directly coupled to three stepper motors.

Degrees of Freedom (DoF)
3
Compute

Renesas 16-bit H8/3052 microcontroller

Software

Control system written in C.

Power

Three 7.2-V 3000-mAh nickel-metal hydride battery, 1 hour of operation

Cost
$1,000 (hardware; design and manufacturing not included)