Study on spherical rolling robots attracts researchers due to its characteristic that non-holonomic constraints are used not only for manipulation but also for locomation. The recently appeared designs for rolling robots are seeking for simplicity and efficiency. The designs are mainly based on two principles: change of moment of inertia or mass distribution, or both, such as the pendulum-driven system where both change of moment of inertia and mass distribution contribute to the control of motion of spherical shell. It should be noted that rolling robots are difficult to control, especially the pendulum-driven type since it is not only a non-holonomic but also an under-actuated system because the pendulum has only two degrees of freedom. This problem of controlling sphere driven by pendulum remains to be solved. Motion planning strategies have been proposed[4] for rotor-driven rolling robots. However a suitable and workable motion planning method for pendulum-driven rolling robot has not been developed yet.
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