Research on the motion performance of the spherical mobile robot wrapped by a netlike spherical shell

A netlike spherical shell was proposed to replace the traditional smooth spherical shell of the spherical mobile robot in order to widen the practical application scope and to prolong the using life. First the mechanical property of the netlike shell was compared with that of the traditional smooth shell. Then, the kinematic and dynamic models of the spherical mobile robot with a netlike spherical shell were constructed using Newton-Euler method and Dalembert´s principle. The motion smoothness and starting characteristic were analyzed. The motion simulation was developed based on virtual prototype technology to verify the theoretical model and to provide references for the later research on this type of robot. The simulation results indicated that the impact of netlike shell on the motion performance of spherical mobile robot can be weakened by adjusting the physical parameters of the netlike spherical shell.