Researchers from KIMLAB at the University of Illinois have developed Ringbot, a monocycle robot with a ring-shaped wheel and two legs. In other words, it’s essentially a leg-wheel transformer robot that incorporates a monocycle mechanism with legs.
The team hopes that Ringbot will be able to provide versatile mobility by replacing the driver and driving components of a conventional monocycle vehicle with legs mounted on compact driving modules inside the wheel. Featuring a wheel and two driving modules located inside the body, each equipped with a 3-DoF leg for balancing, steering, as wekk as legged motions to assist monocycle driving.
- UL 2272 certified for safety. Smart Battery Management System for reliability. IP54 waterproof protection.
- Sturdy & Powerful: Compact design, 28 lbs, 220 lbs max load. Dual 400W motors, 10 mph max speed, 13.7 miles per charge, 15° slope.
- Road Adaptive Design: 10.5" pneumatic tires for smooth ride. Knee control bar for precise steering, easy lifting. Age: 16-50. Height: 3.11-6.6".
The driving control is achieved through decoupled speed controller and steering controller. The controllers for wheeled driving and legged motions were tested in a simulation environment, as well as on the hardware prototype, to verify the concept of a monocycle with legs and evaluate the prototype’s capabilities,” said the researchers.
