Dynamic modeling and construction of a two-wheeled mobile manipulator, part I: Self-balancing

Abstract

In recent years, many researchers have shown their interest on the dynamic modeling and control of two-wheeled mobile robots. In this concern, designing the self-balancing robots and reducing undesired vibrations are of great importance. For this purpose, the majority of publications are focused on application of relatively complex control approaches without improving the robot structure. Therefore, in this paper we introduce a new two-wheeled mobile robot which, despite its relative simple structure, fulfills the required level of self-balancing without applying any certain complex controller. To reach this goal, the robot structure is designed in way that its center of gravity to be located below the wheels' axle level. In the final model of the robot, the attention is more paid to obtaining a self-balancing model in which the robot's arms and other equipment follow relatively low oscillations when the robot is subjected to a sudden change. For this purpose, after assembling the robot using the Sim-Mechanics toolbox of Matlab, several simulations are arranged to investigate the robot ability in fulfilling the required tasks. Further verifications are carried out by performing various experiments on the real model. Based on the obtained results, an acceptable level of balancing, oscillation reduction, and power supply is observed.