The Omni-Ball

A  group of researchers from Osaka University have created what they call The Omni-Ball.  It’s made up of two matching hemispheres attached to either side of an axle. The hemispheres can move independently or together as a sphere. They then used the Omni-Ball to create the Omni-Crawler, a small vehicle that can move in all directions.

Via diginfo.tv

Filed under: random,robotics — by kgroce, posted October 3, 2011 at 10:52 am

Try Adafruit's new iPhone & iPad app for makers! Circuit Playground! "Incredibly handy for anyone working in electronics. Perfect for engineers and non-engineers alike."
Looking for engineers, makers and the builders of dreams? Try our Adafruit job boards.
Join our weekly Adafruit SHOW-AND-TELL at 9:30pm ET every Saturday night! Then at 10pm, ASK-AN-ENGINEER with Ladyada and the Adafruit team!

In the Adafruit Store:
Standard LCD 20x4 + extras

Standard LCD 20x4 + extras
3D printing - Skill badge, iron-on patch

3D printing - Skill badge, iron-on patch
RF Touch Wheel Controller for Analog RGB LED Strips

RF Touch Wheel Controller for Analog RGB LED Strips

2 Comments

  1. Seems too inefficient to scale up. I liked the gimball drive system that a student at Bradley U reinvented omg that was fast
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaT7M3Nwj7c
    I may have to have a go at making a microcontroller stabilized version of that!

    is the tube like gripper the same as the toy kids get that are super hard to hold?

    Comment by moser — October 3, 2011 @ 11:12 am

  2. I don’t really see the improvement on mechanum wheels ?

    Comment by jybu — October 3, 2011 @ 3:01 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
www.flickr.com
adafruit's items Go to adafruit's photostream
www.flickr.com
items in Adafruits More in Adafruits pool