Researchers at the Kinetic Intelligence Machine (KIM) Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed Ringbot, a monocycle robot prototype that replaces the driver and driving components with compactly mounted legs that fit inside the wheel.
The world of science fiction has always propelled us to a future where scientists and engineers work together to make yesterday’s impossible a reality someday. Humanoid bots were once a piece of science fiction. Today, companies are racing to deliver to your household this year or perhaps the next.
Transportation-wise, the dream of flight has been achieved, and scientists are working on concepts that may have seemed bizarre a few years ago. Bicycles have been the norm in society for decades, but unicycles or monocycles do not have the same popularity. Electric unicycles offer a faster mode of transportation with a small footprint. They are rapidly becoming a choice for those opting for public transportation. A similar solution could be achieved with monowheels that could someday replace cars.
The craze of monowheels
Monowheels in science fiction movies might have drawn your attention for their uber-cool concept and abilities. But in cities across the world, they have a useful application. Urban areas have always faced the issue of many private cars that take up a lot of space, but a ferry may be one or two people. A monowheel could effectively shrink the space needed for a solo traveler and provide a city-friendly option to move about.
YouTube is rife with videos of engineers attempting and succeeding in building their monowheels. Interesting Engineering, too, has reported on how Duke University students built the world’s fastest monowheel. But Illinois researchers have taken it further by giving it the ability to move without involving a human driver at all. This could potentially be the beginning of a driverless mode of transportation in cities of the future.
What can Ringbot do?
The Ringbot is built with two independent driving modules fitted neatly inside its slim wheel body. According to the video of the device shared by the KIMLab, each module can control its velocity to track its orientation. When required, the modules can even make full rotations inside the wheel.
While this is just a prototype, the Ringbot can travel up to over three miles (five km) per hour. More importantly, the bot can move about independently without needing assistance for balancing or turning. This is made possible by the two legs in the product design.
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As can be seen in the video, when the wheel loses balance and drops to one side, the two legs serve as support and help it stand up. Once the sensors confirm that the wheel has been stabilized, the legs return to their resting position, and the driving modules can kick in and restart their journey.
The researchers have enabled the bot to balance itself before it falls and recover into a stable position. When required, the bot can deploy its legs to turn around in the desired direction. The bot’s single-wheel design allows it to overcome multiple smaller obstacles by simply traveling over them.
Ameya Paleja Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.
