Self-Balancing Robot With Telescoping Shaft and Retractable Tail
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mobile robotic systems for telepresence lack a human-like upright posture and mobility, limiting the operator's ability to navigate and perceive environments from a natural perspective.
Innovation Solution
A mobile self-balancing robot with a base on wheels, a shaft-mounted head, and a control system that maintains balance, featuring a telescoping shaft, impact-resistant components, and telepresence capabilities, allowing for adjustable height and compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the robot uses a wide, heavy platform with three or more legs or wheels for stability, then stability is improved, but mobility and human-like upright posture are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The robot employs dynamic balance control through a self-balancing control system that actively adjusts the robot's posture and wheel movements to maintain stability during upright operation, rather than relying on a statically stable wide platform
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the head and upper body components from the base platform, mounting the head on a telescoping shaft that extends vertically from the base, creating a human-like upright form without requiring a wide stable platform
2Ease of operation
If the shaft is made telescoping to enable compact storage, then ease of storage is improved, but structural complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping shaft employs a nested structure where inner shaft sections are inserted within outer shaft sections, allowing the shaft to compress to a compact size for storage while extending to full height for operation
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft transitions between static (extended for operation) and dynamic (telescoping for storage/retrieval) states, with motors controlling the extension and retraction to provide compact storage capability
3Stability of the object's composition
If the robot includes a retractable tail to form a tripod for stable resting, then stability is improved, but device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The tail serves multiple functions: it acts as a counterweight during upright operation to aid balance, and can be extended to contact the ground to form a tripod support structure for stable resting when the robot is not in motion
Solution Approach 2:
The tail is implemented as a retractable component that can be extended or retracted based on operational needs, allowing the robot to transition between upright balancing mode and ground-supported resting mode
Data Source
AI summary
Mobile self-balancing robots for telepresence are provided. The robots comprise a base, a head, and a shaft therebetween. The shaft can be telescoping to allow the head to be extended above the base to about the height of a normal sized person, or can be retracted to make the robot more compact for easier storage and transportation. The head includes components for telepresence such as cameras, a speaker, a microphone, a laser pointer, and a display screen, as well as protection from impacts and falls. The base provides locomotion and balance, and a narrow shaft between the head and base minimizes the robot's weight and reduces the likelihood of collisions with protrusions like table edges.