Robotic ball device with improved robustness and a multitude of interactive and sensing capabilities

A robotic ball device having a center point and a first axis of rotation passing through the center point around which the robotic ball device rotates during motion in a forward linear direction, the robotic ball device comprising:

• a housing;
• a defined pathway located on an inner face of the housing that forms a closed loop around the first axis of rotation;
• a rolling member contained in the housing and movably disposed on the defined pathway;
• an actuator coupled to the rolling member for actuating rotation of the rolling member;
• a weighted component operationally coupled to the rolling member, the weighted component being sufficiently heavy to maintain the rolling member, during a motion in the forward linear direction, at a substantially constant angular position in a forward vertical plane dissecting the rolling member, relative to an origin in a moving frame of reference that moves with the robotic ball device;
• and
• one or more capacitive sensors disposed inside the housing;
• wherein the rolling member is vertically unaligned with the first axis of rotation.