Roboticists have come up with myriad ways for robots to get from here to there: on feet, treads, all fours, wheels, and now, a ball. That's right, one big, heavy ball and a lot of balancing let Carnegie Mellon University's Ballbot make its way around the testing labs.

The idea, said researchers, was to get past the moving-around methods used by most home, office, and institutional robots that are being developed and used today; these methods are often clumsy, and taxing, both mechanically and energy-wise.

Like Dean Kamen's Segway human transporter (which uses two wheels), Ballbot, which is being developed by CMU's Robotics Research Professor Ralph Hollis and funded by the National Science Foundation, is mostly a balancing act. The on-board computer uses sensors to maintain balance and activate rollers on top of the urethane-coated metal sphere. These rollers move the ball to keep the 5-foot-or-so robot upright and moving around the room.

I like the concept and love that researchers are constantly trying to figure out better ways to make robots move in realistic environments. Still, this brings to mind an image of a circus dog balancing on a big red ball.  When the dog is done, he jumps down and lands on his four legs. When Ballbot is stationary, he puts three legs down to give the ball and balancing act a rest. Coincidence? I think not.

Thanks to editor of reviews Lance Ulanoff for this report!