Embedded Files
Students in ECE 496 was asked to build a self balancing robot using TI Stellaris Launchpad as embedded computation unit the in Spring 2014 semester. They may first develop the system in a more sophisticated hardware-in-the-loop prototyping system (xPC Target with Quanser Q4 board) environment and then port their design to the embedded platform. As the TA for this lab, I am inspired by this idea and have built a full-size Segway using my TI Stellaris Launchpad Target Support Package as well. Pose control, motor control, sensor data fusion and runtime state logic are all done in Simulink and then transformed into binary for the micro-controller. So no explicit coding is done for this project.
Here is a screenshot of the Simulink diagram at top level.
A picture of the construction (battery not included). Main frame is built with Bosch metal available in the lab. Motor and wheels are electric scooter parts. Motor driver H-bridge is from ebay. Total cost, excluding frame and battery is ~$150.
Test run video (with open-loop motor control)
My gratitude to Reinaldo for letting me use his electric bike battery for testing. The motor is open-loop controlled in this video, so there is no way to implement proper turning. In the video, you can see me change directions by shifting my stance on the device. Close-loop motor speed control is added after this video is taken.
Video of ECE 496 Student Project
Below is a video demonstration of small Segway-like robot project students in ECE 496 lab built in spring semester 2014.
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