Kaitlyn Johnson/Texas A&M Engineering
Instead of relying on the usual wheels or legs to navigate extraterrestrial landscapes, a team at Texas A&M, led by Robert Ambrose, is experimenting with a more geometric approach: a spherical robot designed to roll across rugged lunar ground.
Pop Culture Inspiration
Fans of cult television might recall The Prisoner, the surreal 1960s series that blended espionage, science fiction, and social commentary. Among its oddities was a menacing balloon-like “robot” that bounced and rolled through scenes, suffocating anyone who tried to escape. Though created as an improvised prop using a water-weighted weather balloon, it left a lasting impression—both eerie and ingenious.
From NASA to Texas A&M
Whether or not inspired by that show, the concept of a rolling robotic sphere first took shape at NASA in 2003. When Ambrose later joined Texas A&M’s Robotics and Automation Design Lab (RAD Lab), he revisited the idea with graduate students Rishi Jangale and Derek Pravecek, backed by the Chancellor’s Research Initiative and the Governor’s University Research Initiative.
Their work has produced RoboBall II and RoboBall III, prototypes aimed at testing how spherical robots could traverse craters and uneven ground on the Moon.
RoboBall II: The Lab-Scale Model
RoboBall II, a lab-scale model with a 2-ft (61-cm) diameter, features a soft shell and an internal propulsion system of motors and a swinging pendulum. By shifting momentum, the pendulum directs the sphere’s roll, enabling it to cross grass, gravel, sand, and even water at speeds reaching 20 mph (32 km/h).
RoboBall III, a larger 6-ft (183-cm) version, is designed for practical missions. It can carry payloads such as sensors, cameras, and sampling equipment, while also inflating or deflating to adjust traction and minimize surface wear. Being spherical, it never has to worry about tipping over.
Emily Oswald/Texas A&M Engineering
The team’s next step is field testing on Galveston’s beaches, where they’ll evaluate transitions between water and land and refine payload integration. They’re also exploring Earth-based uses, such as disaster response.
Disaster Relief Potential
Picture a swarm of these spheres deployed after a hurricane, Jangale explained. They could map flooded zones, locate survivors, and return vital data—all without endangering human rescuers.
Read the original artcle on: New Atlas