Implementation issues for an inexpensive inverted-pendulum mobile robot

This paper discusses the research, design and implementation issues associated with an economical self-balancing "inverted-pendulum" autonomous robot. Driven by two independent wheels, the inspiration for this configuration stems from the control engineering challenge of balancing the inverted pendulum. An autonomous vehicle of this kind can only be realised through the successful integration of mechanical hardware, electrical components and control software. A two-wheel autonomous robot prototype has been constructed, incorporating control and sub-system integration software.