Rolling Stability of a Power-Generating Tumbleweed Rover

Abstract

In this paper, the rolling stability of a power-generating tumbleweed rover is investigated. The nonlinear equations of motion of the rover capture the nonholonomic nature of rolling without slipping, the external wind force, and energy dissipation due to rolling friction and power generation. To assess stability of the system as it rolls about a preferred axis of rotation, Lyapunov’s indirect method is employed. When the shell of the tumbleweed rover has a uniform mass distribution, Lyapunov’s indirect method predicts instability; when the inertia about a preferred axis of rotation is increased, Lyapunov’s indirect method predicts stability. Numerical simulation results of both the linearized and nonlinear equations of motion confirm both the instability and stability predictions of Lyapunov’s indirect method.

Spherical Robots: An Up-to-Date Overview of Designs and Features

“…In addition to engineering work, research was conducted aimed at developing the control and planning of the robot's motion in the form of a sphere on surfaces similar in geometry to the reliefs of other planets [74,75]. Using the results of modeling, it is shown what possibilities exist for spherical robots to overcome craters and hills specific of the terrains of the planets under exploration.…”

Design and Performance Evaluation of a Spherical Robot Assisted by High-Speed Rotating Flywheels for Self-Stabilization and Obstacle Surmounting

“…The spherical robot is a kind of intelligent robot and the components of internal driving unit (IDU), sensor, controller, and energy device are housed in the spherical shell. The fully sealed spherical shell enables the robot to drive in the environment of dust, humidity, and corrosion automatically and has great development potential in extraterrestrial exploration [1], environmental monitoring [2], underwater [3], security patrol [4], child-development [5][6][7], as well as in the confined space to collect samples for chemical composition monitoring. Since the contact between the sphere and the ground is point contact, the friction force on the heading angle is small and instability is liable to occur if the sphere is disturbed by the external environment.…”

Design of a Spherical Robot With Cable-Actuated Driving Mechanism

“…They can be designed as self-contained mechanisms in the sense that the propulsion system can be confined within the robot making them ideal for dangerous environments such as search & rescue operations that may require traversing in debris and military applications. Other applications include surveillance [1], space exploration missions [2], environmental screening [3], marine exploration [4], and child development [5]. Additionally, as any mobile robot, they can be programmed to receive commands from a remote location or move autonomously in environments based on sensor information.…”