{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T21:51:20Z","timestamp":1777499480942,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,28]],"date-time":"2023-02-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1677542400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Robotics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Ballbots are omnidirectional robots in which a robot chassis is built and balanced on top of a ball, thereby allowing for a highly manoeuvrable platform on a planar surface. However, the stability of such robots is performed dynamically with the use of a suitable controller, and thus, power to such robots must be continually maintained. In this paper, a novel approach to the ballbot design is presented in which unpowered static stability is maintained mechanically by a suitable choice of position for the centre of mass of the robot. The simulations of the design and a built prototype evidence the feasibility of such an approach, demonstrating static stability and performance parameters of three degrees of freedom movement, linear speeds of 0.05 m\/s, rotation angular speed of 1 rad\/s and the ability to traverse inclines up to 3\u00b0. Limitations in performance were predominantly due to compressibility of the ball used and power of the motors. Areas for future development to address these issues are suggested.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/robotics12020034","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,28]],"date-time":"2023-02-28T03:29:46Z","timestamp":1677554986000},"page":"34","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Stastaball: Design and Control of a Statically Stable Ball Robot"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Luca","family":"Fornarelli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jack","family":"Young","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Thomas","family":"McKenna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ebenezer","family":"Koya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2893-8776","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"John","family":"Hedley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Lauwers, T., Kantor, G., and Hollis, R. 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[1st ed.]."}],"container-title":["Robotics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2218-6581\/12\/2\/34\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T18:43:55Z","timestamp":1760121835000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2218-6581\/12\/2\/34"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,28]]},"references-count":25,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4]]}},"alternative-id":["robotics12020034"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/robotics12020034","relation":{},"ISSN":["2218-6581"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2218-6581","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,28]]}}}