Groundbot

[arturvc]

Hello!

I need to make a sketchup like the GroundBot:
http://www.rotundus.se/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXXNM2A-h34
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB_esizySdI

It has two servo motors, one moves the pendulum-wheight forward and backward, and the other moves right and left.
"A controlled pendulum keeps the center of gravity very close to the inside surface of the sphere. At rest, the center of gravity is close to the ground. To create momentum, a built-in motor raises the pendulum. This changes the center of gravity and GroundBot begins to roll in the direction that the pendulum has been moved."

can I build such model with SU Physics and control it?
I tried but I couldn't do it.

thank you for your help!

[Physicsguy1]

Yes you can. But it involves tedious work. You'll have to model a hollow ball(not easy). The mechanism would be hard. keeping the pendulum in a certain orientation while moving would be a tough task.

[BTM]

(sigh). No, it really isn't hard at all, you'd just have to make all the mechanisms inside the sphere no-collision. No-collision objects still have normal mass, so it would work fine. As for the mechanism itself, it should be FAIRLY straight forward.

[Physicsguy1]

Oh, sorry. I forgot about no-collision.

[phy]

I got a model I can upload if you want, It's not so very good though.