6.832: Inertia Wheel Inverted Pendulum
Using a flywheel to balance an inverted pendulum. LQR and region-of-attraction analysis in simulation; swingup and stabilization on real hardware using PD and bang-bang control. MIT Underactuated Robotics.
Nancy Ouyang, Ashwin Krishna — MIT 6.832 Underactuated Robotics
A flywheel (inertia wheel) mounted at the tip of a pendulum can generate torque to keep the pendulum balanced upright — even without a motor at the pivot. In simulation, we derived the equations of motion and applied LQR control and region-of-attraction analysis. We also built a complete hardware system from scratch and implemented swingup and stabilization using PD and bang-bang control.
I led the analysis and controls design and co-built the hardware system.