Design and Analysis of a Pendulum Driven Spherical Robot

The sealed spherical shell of a spherical robot provides robust environmental adaptability, enabling continuous operation in harsh conditions. This paper presents a spherical robot driven by a single eccentric mass with a symmetrically arranged motor-counterweight configuration to minimize inertial imbalance. A kinematic model based on a plane-sphere system and a dynamics model derived from the Euler-Lagrange method are established to decouple linear and steering motions. Velocity control algorithms are proposed and validated in MATLAB, while trajectory tracking experiments are conducted in ADAMS. Experimental results demonstrate that the robot features a scientifically sound and reliable structure, with fully functional capabilities that enable both the expected linear motion and steering functions.