A multi-ball drive for omni-directional mobility: Prototyping a concept for a practical and agile omnidirectional mobility platform with the aid of 3D printing Technology

Biruk A. Gebre, Zachary Ryter, Sean R. Humphreys, Scott M. Ginsberg, Sean P. Farrell, Anthony Kauffman, William Capon, William Robbins, Kishore Pochiraju

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this paper, the concept of replacing the standard wheel, which is used by most ground vehicles today, by a spherical ball drive system is explored. The aim is to develop a practical and agile omnidirectional mobility platform which can especially be useful for applications related to mobile ground robotics. The paper discusses some of the advantages and drawbacks of using balls instead of wheels and the challenges involved in trying to implement a ball drive system. As a proof-of-concept a functional prototype vehicle that utilizes balls for mobility has been developed and successfully tested. 3D printing technology was utilized in the development of the prototype to fabricate some of the more intricate components of the design. Some of the lessons learned during the design, development, and testing of this prototype as well as some of the solutions implemented to tackle the challenges in developing a working prototype are also discussed. The paper shows that while there are numerous design challenges in developing a mobile platform driven by balls instead of wheels, once these challenges are overcome, the result can be a mobile platform with highly agile maneuvering capabilities. These maneuvering capabilities may especially be useful for simplifying navigation tasks and enhancing the mobility capabilities of mobile ground robots.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2014 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Practical Robot Applications, TePRA 2014
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
Event2014 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Practical Robot Applications, TePRA 2014 - Woburn, MA, United States
Duration: 14 Apr 201415 Apr 2014

Publication series

NameIEEE Conference on Technologies for Practical Robot Applications, TePRA
ISSN (Print)2325-0526
ISSN (Electronic)2325-0534

Conference

Conference2014 IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Practical Robot Applications, TePRA 2014
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityWoburn, MA
Period14/04/1415/04/14

Keywords

  • 3D printing
  • Ball-drive
  • Mobile ground robot
  • Omni-wheel
  • Omnidirectional vehicle

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A multi-ball drive for omni-directional mobility: Prototyping a concept for a practical and agile omnidirectional mobility platform with the aid of 3D printing Technology'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this