| It has been proposed the NASA build planetary | | | | forward momentum plus pushing out bumps for |
| exploration robotic swarm beach balls, which can | | | | propulsion.Would this design be remote controlled, or |
| bounce along the surface of a planet and roll as they | | | | are you saying that a bouncing ball can self-navigate in |
| collect data. Could something like this actually | | | | real time, despite the disorienting effects of rolling and |
| work?One online think tank member believes so. But | | | | bouncing? It would use net-centric swarming |
| how much power does this "design" take? | | | | techniques and the nodes or motes used in such |
| Approximately 180 Watts to 300 watts ought to do | | | | technologies to communicate with the other balls and |
| the trick. How much does the "design" weigh? A | | | | move together. The sensors in side would stay |
| Beach Ball times three plus electronics, Estimate 5-12 | | | | stationary the ball moves the core does not, but can |
| Lbs. How does this "design" go up small inclines? It | | | | when it bounces. There are tumblers used in aircraft |
| pushes out the skin on the ball as it moves. It uses | | | | gyros and such to help with that problem. |