Roboball II is a unique soft-shelled, pendulum-driven, rugged spherical ball designed to tackle difficult exploration challenges. It is driven by a two-degree-of-freedom pendulum for forward propulsion and steering. The 2ft diameter soft, inflated outer shell, along with an onboard compressor and pneumatic tank system, allows for the adjustment of shell stiffness, ensuring adaptability to diverse terrains.
Roboball II’s pendulum with gold-anodized hubcaps, completed Aug. 15, 2022.
This robot’s rolling and bouncing behavior renders it well-suited for steep, difficult terrain, e.g., rapid descents into lunar craters, showcasing its potential in extraterrestrial exploration. Roboball II also exhibits exceptional mobility on Earth, with its adaptable shell allowing it to traverse terrains such as grass, gravel, moguls, and even water. Early testing of the robot in adverse driving conditions can be seen below in the Roboball II gallery. Roboball II is a highly experimental mobility system, primarily serving as a testbed for developing new control algorithms, hardware permutations, and novel spherical shell designs for use in the larger Roboball III.
Roboball II Gallery
