# US 8,788,096 B1 · Self-balancing robot having a shaft-mounted head > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,788,096 B1 - Document ID: US8788096B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 13/669,192 - Filed: 2012-11-05 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2010-05-17 - Assignees: Anybots 2.0, Inc. - Applicants: Anybots 2.0, Inc. - Inventors: John L. Sokol; Trevor Blackwell; Scott Wiley; Daniel Casner; Benjamin Holson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8788096B1 ## CPC - B25J 5/007: {mounted on wheels} - B25J 11/002: {Manipulators for defensive or military tasks} - B25J 19/023: {including video camera means} - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract Mobile self-balancing robots for telepresence are provided. The robots comprise a base, a head, and a shaft therebetween. The shaft can be telescoping to allow the head to be extended above the base to about the height of a normal sized person, or can be retracted to make the robot more compact for easier storage and transportation. The head includes components for telepresence such as cameras, a speaker, a microphone, a laser pointer, and a display screen, as well as protection from impacts and falls. The base provides locomotion and balance, and a narrow shaft between the head and base minimizes the robot's weight and reduces the likelihood of collisions with protrusions like table edges. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A robot comprising: a base, supported on wheels, and including a retractable tail that retracts into the base and that, when extended, can form a tripod with the wheels on which the robot can stably rest, the tail being pivotally attached to the base; a control system configured to maintain balance of the robot on the wheels; and a head joined to the base by a shaft extending therebetween. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The robot of claim 1 wherein the tail comprises a third wheel at a distal end thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The robot of claim 1 wherein the wheels are joined by an axle extending through the base and wherein the tail is pivotally attached to the base at a pivot point cantilevered from the axle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The robot of claim 1 further comprising logic configured to extend the tail in response to wind. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The robot of claim 1 wherein the head includes a forward-facing camera. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The robot of claim 5 wherein the head further includes a down camera. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The robot of claim 1 wherein the head includes impact protection. ### Claim 8 A robot comprising: a base supported on wheels and including a retractable stabilizer that can retract into the base, where the robot can stably rest on the wheels and the stabilizer when the stabilizer is extended; a control system configured to maintain balance of the robot on the wheels; and a head joined to the base by a shaft extending therebetween, the head including a camera. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The robot of claim 8 wherein the stabilizer comprises a linear actuator. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The robot of claim 8 wherein the stabilizer is pivotally attached to the base. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The robot of claim 10 wherein the control system is further configured to autonomously extend the stabilizer in response to a wind strength exceeding a threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The robot of claim 8 wherein the base further includes a second retractable stabilizer that can retract into the base, where the robot can stably rest on the wheels and both stabilizers when the stabilizers are extended. ### Claim 13 A method comprising: transitioning a robot from a non-balancing state to a balancing state, the robot including a base having two wheels and a retractable stabilizer, the two wheels defining a common axis of rotation; the non-balancing state characterized by the base being supported on the two wheels and the stabilizer, the balancing state characterized by the base being supported on only the two wheels, and wherein transitioning the robot from the non-balancing state to the balancing state includes using the stabilizer to rotate the base around the axis of rotation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the retractable stabilizer comprises a linear actuator, wherein the linear actuator is extended by a first length when in the non-balancing state, and wherein using the stabilizer to rotate the base around the axis of rotation includes extending the linear actuator further beyond the first length. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the retractable stabilizer is pivotally attached to the base at a pivot point and wherein using the stabilizer to rotate the base around the axis of rotation includes rotating the stabilizer around the pivot point. ### Claim 16 A method comprising: transitioning a robot from a balancing state to a non-balancing state, the robot including a base having two wheels and a retractable stabilizer, the two wheels defining a common axis of rotation; the non-balancing state characterized by the base being supported on the two wheels and the stabilizer, the balancing state characterized by the base being supported on only the two wheels, and wherein transitioning the robot from the balancing state to the non-balancing state includes measuring a wind strength and extending the stabilizer.