Ideas for mobile platform

Countersteering is like that: you want to go

I've had 4 motorcycles, and rode for years. And countersteering is by far the coolest thing. Not too weird. Only works well at high speeds, since at low, you might just fall down. You push the right handlebar - sharply, but not **too** hard - in effect turning the front wheel to the left. Then momentum/inertia pushes the mass of the bike at a net vector angle that causes it to start to "fall" to the right [because the front wheel is going to the left]. This causes the bike to lean rapidly to the right, which is how you want it when turning right in the first place. Of course, you then have to quickly straighten the wheel to avoid taking a nose-plant. All in all, counter-steering is a way to rapidly "initiate" a turn, but you have to immediately compensate, once the bike is heeled over. But it is great when you come into a turn too fast, or the turn radius decreases half way through, or you just want to juke around a pothole in the road. At 65 mph, it will juke the bike a couple of feet sideways in a flash.

The problem, of course, is that the gyro effect of the wheels is only effective when the wheels are spinning at a high rate. If you need to slow down for an obstacle, etc, then the top-heavy 2-wheeler falls over. That's why human beings have a leg on each side - to put down to hold the bike from falling over!

I started reading the book Fab by Neil Gershenfeld last nite, and lo and behold found a picture of a guy in India who sells $400 conversion units for motorcycles that converts the rear-end into 2-wheels, like a trike. These use it as a cheap tractor. You can quickly remove the wheels and convert it back into a regular 2-wheeler. I'm surprised the Berkeley guys didn't attempt something like this.

There was a movie out recently about the Baja 1000. What hoot. The guys on the bikes were complete maniacs. 100-120 MPH on dirt roads.

The Berkeley team probably should have rounded up a harley driver for a consultant.

"dan michaels"

Then they wouldn't be doing anything different than the others...

Padu

Ever watch a trials rider? if not go rent On Any Sunday. They can stop, back up and then go foreward again without doing a "touch". A touch is touching the ground with any part of your body.

Humans may have an advantage of balance, but the idea of a robot doing trials speed work on a motorcycle is so cool.

Adding an pair of emergency legs so you could do a dab might be a way to do best of both worlds. Walking robots aren't easy and not clear that they are even desired in general. A motorcycles is going to be fine at speed. Don't know if the added weight and complexity makes sense.

"dan michaels"

I've raced at Streets of Willow (Rosamond, CA), and I'll tell you something, when you are at the end of the back straight at about 140mph and you have to make that chicane, you better push it hard and fast 8^)

Cheers

Padu

Check out this video if you are interested in slow speed balance.

Pretty impressive to me

They're active balancing, using subtle body movements, not using the wheel gyro effect.

"Padu" wrote in news:NtudnQz snipped-for-privacy@iswest.net:

All this sounds good, but the problem is you stand up an bike and it falls over. period. The gyro effect only happens when the bike is in motion, not at rest. That's why last year and this year the bike just fell over and crashed at the starting gate.