An Experimental Study on Balancing Stabilization of a Service Robot by Using Sliding Mechanism

Abstract

This paper presents the analysis and control of the position of the COG (Center of Gravity) for a two-wheel balancing robot. The two-wheel balancing robot is required to maintain balance by driving two wheels only. Since the robot is not exactly symmetrical and its dynamics is changing with respect to moving parts, robust balancing control is difficult. Balancing performance becomes difficult when two arms hold a heavy object since the center of gravity is shifted out of the wheel axis. Novel design of a sliding waist mechanism allows the robot to react against the shift of the COG by moving the whole upper body to compensate for the imbalance of the mass as a counter balancer. To relocate the COG position accurately, the COG is analyzed by force data measured from two force sensors. Then the sliding COG mechanism is utilized to control the sliding waist position. Experimental studies are conducted to confirm the proposed design and method.