Stabilization of a Spherical Robot

Abstract

Robotics is a multidisciplinary branch of science which combines principles of mechanical, electrical, computer engineering and computer science to design automated systems Our research continues the work started as part of a capstone project named BB 8 Robot Design When the capstone project was finished they created a prototype robot that could displace itself using a joystick but had problems with its stability Our goal was to improve the robot’s stability by implementing a feedback control system The robot’s movement should be modelled to implement a feedback control system We studied the robot’s inner pendulum and the forces related to its movement These forces were the translational force, the centripetal force and the rotational force The scope of the project had to be modified due to technical difficulties with the robot’s electrical system The robot’s battery and motor controller were damaged and had to be replaced An electrical system with improved safety features was also installed to prevent this type of damage in the future