[James Bruton] has just finished and posted the designs for his very impressive BB-8 robot build. We covered the start of his adventures some time ago when we were theorizing about the secret in the new droid, but it was for a completely different robot design. [James] was pursuing a design that used a little robot sitting on top of a big ball.
This new version has a robot sitting inside a ball with the head being magnetically coupled to the body. Among many things with this build, we thought it was cool how the robot has one drive motor and turns by spinning up and reversing a big flywheel in the base of the robot. That was certainly not one of the top theories proposed for the secret behind the robot. The robot is mostly made with a 3d printer, with the occasional cosmetic piece being vacuum formed. If you’d like to make one for yourself, [James] has also posted all of the design and cad for the robot on his GitHub. On Thursday he posted the final installment of his 10-part video series on the build. Check out part one after the break.
What’s the purpose of this device?
To be awesome, maybe? A challenging project for fun’s sake? Take your pick.
You keep your map in there.
^ this. srsly watch the movie OP, it’s like the best place to keep a flash drive or something similar
I think you mean, “what is its mission?” There are TShirts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t45-k13vIUY
That’s his second version and he already started the 3rd :) pretty awesome.
I was gonna build this but I’ll wait till the end of V3.
It’s really incredible to see the power of a 3d printer, arduino and a few shields.
That’s the least of it, the power of James work ethic comes to mind.
It needs a flywheel inside to keep the core stable.
No it doesn’t. The flywheel is used for turning it on the spot. Watch the videos…
it also serves as a ballast.
I’m thinking a true old-school big-and-clunky mechanical gyroscope would be the way to drive and stabilize a ball-robot like this, in all axis.
I was thinking the same. That would reduce greatly the wobbly.
Gyroscopic Stabilization is what this thing really needs, right in the middle empty spot above and between the batteries.
James Bruton is really talented. can’t wait for V3 !
I think R2 could handle stairs. The only hope is Escalators, BB-8. However BB-8 would make the perfect referee in a soccer match.
Until someone kicks the referee in the ball?
“We have bingo!”. You get it. Thank the heavens it doesn’t have a Jar-jar binks.
i think it’s just lacking software, or even a simple rc-gyro inline with the drive motor. but i imagine if you spent some time with the control system of this, you could drive it like a segway. it’s an almost inverted pendulum. it should be easy.
BB-8. The JarJar Binks of robots.