Analysis of moving capability of a spherical mobile robot

The special structure of spherical mobile robots makes them very suitable to be used in harsh environments where human interventions are hard to reach, such as outer planets and fields. When a spherical mobile robot moves in such environments, moving capability is a key to decide whether the robot can successfully finish given tasks. BHQ-1G, a spherical mobile robot, was introduced. The kinematic and dynamic model of the robot were built with geometry method and Lagrange equation. Its moving capability such as moving in straight line, slope climbing, obstacle climbing and turning radius, etc., were analyzed thoroughly. The analysis results not only demonstrate the feasibility of the design and determine some factors that can affect the moving capability of BHQ-1G, but also can be used to do the optimum design and prototype development of the robot.