The Wheelbot: A Jumping Reaction Wheel Unicycle

TL;DR

The Wheelbot is a DIY reaction wheel unicycle capable of jumping onto its wheels from any position, serving as a challenging platform for advanced control research due to its complex dynamics.

Contribution

This paper introduces the design, control algorithms, and experimental validation of the novel Wheelbot unicycle, combining off-the-shelf parts and 3D printing for a versatile research platform.

Findings

Successfully demonstrated self-erection from arbitrary positions.

Achieved disturbance rejection while balancing.

Validated control algorithms through experiments.

Abstract

Combining off-the-shelf components with 3D-printing, the Wheelbot is a symmetric reaction wheel unicycle that can jump onto its wheels from any initial position. With non-holonomic and under-actuated dynamics, as well as two coupled unstable degrees of freedom, the Wheelbot provides a challenging platform for nonlinear and data-driven control research. This paper presents the Wheelbot's mechanical and electrical design, its estimation and control algorithms, as well as experiments demonstrating both self-erection and disturbance rejection while balancing.