Can a Robot Balance on Two Wheels?

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of my project is to develop an algorithm to balance a two wheeled, one axle autonomous robot. Methods/Materials For my project, I used a vex robotics kit and the optional C programming kit. I also used a Sharp infrared distance sensor. I built the robot completely out of parts from the vex robotics kit, except for the infrared distance sensor. The distance sensor was mounted pointing down, on an arm, so that sensor output is a function of robot angle. I iteratively wrote programs to balance the robot based on the sensor output. Results The algorithm that corrected for angle and change in angle balanced the best. Its mean balance time is higher than any of the others, and its maximum balance time is almost double that of the runner-up algorithm. However, the minimum balance time of all algorithms is fairly constant; the same goes for the median balance time. This indicates significant room for improvement. Conclusions/Discussion The algorithm that balanced based on the angle and the change in angle worked the best. Nevertheless, some factors keep it from balancing for a significant amount of time. Possible reasons include loose gears and nonlinear motor behavior.

Awards (1)

• Fourth Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Mathematics & Software · Entry J1315

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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