Design of a Wheeled Blimp

This paper describes a new design of blimp having wheeled vehicle part. This system can work both on the ground using wheeled vehicle and in the air using the floating capability of the blimp part. The passive wheeled mechanism in the vehicle part enables the stable taking off, landing on as well as it is greatly helpful to keep a stationary position on the floor. On the other hand, the floating capability enables the wheeled blimp to fly freely regardless of the ground condition or obstacles. The wheeled blimp can be used as an agent robot for the tole-presence application. Using multimedia devices such as camera, speaker, LCD and microphone mounted on the blimp surface, this system can get necessary information at the local site and communicate with person from a distance. As a typical tele-presence application, the wheeled blimp is currently being developed to a tole-guidance robot working in public indoor areas such 35 exhibition halls, departments, hospitals, etc ...