Cubli: The Balancing Gyro Cube that Defies Gravity

Ever wondered how robots can stand with accurate balance even when abruptly pushed? The Dynamic Systems and Control lab at the Swiss engineering school ETH Zurich created Cubli, a balancing cube that seems to defy gravity. 

Cubli a 6 inch by 6 inch metal block with three spinning wheels and algorithm controlled motor torques to balance itself and do tricks. It can also “walk,” using angular momentum to flip itself from face to face.The stabilization is the result from the precise choreography of the internal spinning wheels–a similar system to what keeps satellites oriented in space. 

The team is further developing algorithms to let Cubli “automatically learn” and respond dynamically to changes in inertia, weight, or its surface. This is the basic concept from the lab that will someday create advanced humanoid robots.

We also recommend watching: "GimBall: Anti-Collision Flying Robot" and "ZeroN: The Levitating 3D Interface".

Cubli: The Balancing Gyro Cube that Defies Gravity

ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. Like its sister institution Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), it is an integral part of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain (ETH Domain) that is directly subordinate to Switzerland's Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research.