Design of a Deformable Spherical Robot

Abstract

The design of a uniquely actuated point-supported spherical robot is investigated to support the claim that deformable spherical robots that are point-supported can increase the speed of the robot. The spherical robot design investigated in this thesis has a unique actuation system because it uses a low number of actuators with the goal of increasing average speed and reducing weight. The most relevant design requirements for this robot were to follow a 40cm/s trajectory and weigh 10 kg or less. The overall design to meet these design requirements and others is discussed and is further explained how the proposed robot functions.

A dynamic model was developed to determine a control system for the robot, and to verify the design. The robot was modeled in Simulink using this control system to determine if the 40 cm/s was feasible and to determine if the selected actuators meet the simulated torque and speed requirements. The torque and speed requirements were higher than anticipated for some of the selected actuators in the design presented in this work. When point-supported, the robot was able to follow 40 cm/s circular trajectory in a Simulink model. The robot was also modeled without the parts that make it point-supported, so that a comparison could be made between the two configurations. The robot in the configuration that was not point-supported followed the trajectory much more slowly, supporting the claim that point-supported deformable spherical robots can be faster.