Dynamics and Impact Control of a Flying Soccer Ball

This paper deals with the dynamics and the impact control of a soccer ball driven by a kicking robot. The trajectory of the ball is a function of its initial velocity, launch angle and some aerodynamic effect. Specially, the initial velocity is created by an instant impulse given to the ball. The external impulse exerted on a ball by a kicking robot is a function of the robot's geometry and dynamic parameters. Initially, we analyze the external impulses for several kicking postures and we simulate trajectories for several different kicking conditions. Based on this observation, a trajectory-planning algorithm calculating the initial velocity and the launch angle of the ball is proposed, an external impulse required for that motion is calculated and the result is applied to the kicking simulation. The aerodynamic effect, such as the drag force and the lift force, is also incorporated into the dynamic simulation of the soccer ball. A kicking robot has been developed for experimental verification of the proposed analytical methodology. The experimental result is shown to be in good. agreement with the simulation result within a 10 % error bound.