Buckybot: Preliminary Control and Mapping Algorithms for a Robot Geometrically Based on a Truncated Icosahedron

605 n this article, we present preliminary work on motion planning and mapping algorithms for the Buckybot mobile robotic platform. We investigated implementation of wall-following algorithms and mapping unknown indoor environments by relying on rudimentary dead-reckoning and ultrasonic range finders. Buckybot is a ground-based platform whose geometry is based on a truncated icosahedron (a soccer ball shape with flattened sides). This platform has 20 passive hexagonal faces on which it can stably rest and 12 rounded pentagonal faces that can be extended linearly, allowing Buckybot to move. Because the robot is operational in any configuration, it is ideal for a variety of deployment scenarios, including throwing or dropping. Simulations grounded in experimental results show preliminary feasibility of Buckybot for indoor mapping applications. Buckybot: Preliminary Control and Mapping Algorithms for a Robot Geometrically Based on a Truncated Icosahedron