NewsJames Bruton’s robot uses three ball-shaped wheels to move in any direction

James Bruton’s robot uses three ball-shaped wheels to move in any direction

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Wheeled robots normally have wheels Which move in One axis and Steer using either differential rates or by simply pivoting some type of manual wheel. But this results in a few drawbacks, the most obvious being a chance to maneuver in very tight spaces. When presented with this question, YouTuber James Bruton created a wonderful design for an extremely mobile robot platform which uses a novel set up to move in any way. Inspired by the work of researchers at Osaka University in Japan, the omni wheel utilizes one drive shaft to spin, however nearly every surface includes a means to move across the floor.

After designing his own robot Fusion 360 and 3D printing every component, Bruton constructed the wheels added a pulley to every drive shaft that may be summoned by a motor sitting right over. An Arduino Mega is tasked with commanding every one of those three BTS7960 motor drivers and it receives orders through an nRF24L01 radio module. Each one the drive parts are powered with one 3-cell LiPo battery pack, although the principal board is provided current with a USB battery bank.

By turning specific wheels at the correct speed, straight line movement Can be created, as shown from the movie below. Bruton analyzed his robot driving over carpeting, tile, aluminum extrusions, and also a plastic lid, that did really well across all except that the lid. This robot also has numerous prospective applications, like a trash collection device for round the home.

Code and design files for the project are available on GitHub.

Michal Pukala
Electronics and Telecommunications engineer with Electro-energetics Master degree graduation. Lightning designer experienced engineer. Currently working in IT industry.

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