New, cube-shaped robot with a single reaction wheel can compensate for external disturbances

Robotics specialists from a group led by ETH professor Raffaello D’Andrea have created a new, cube-shaped robot that can balance on its pivot and compensate for external disturbances. What makes the One-Wheel Cubli unique? Unlike its predecessors, it only requires a single reaction wheel.

It was almost 10 years ago that researchers led by ETH robotics professor Raffaello D’Andrea made a splash with a robotic cube that was capable of balancing on its pivot. Multiple reaction wheels in the cube’s interior were able to compensate for disturbances to a certain degree, making it harder to knock off balance. It was also able to jump up and move around via controlled falls.

Now it has a successor: the One-Wheel Cubli. That’s the name D’Andrea’s workshop gave to this new balancing artist. It only requires a single reaction wheel for its balancing act. Instead of additional wheels, it is equipped—like a tightrope walker—with a balancing pole. As a result, the inertias differ in the two directions of motion, allowing the One-Wheel Cubli to stabilize both directions simultaneously. In the latest issue of Mechatronics, the researchers introduce the One-Wheel Cubli.