http://hackaday.com Fresh hacks every day Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:18:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/5560f98f805877b0e332f191cb9e0af3?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png http://hackaday.com http://hackaday.com/2008/08/10/miniature-balancing-robot/ http://hackaday.com/2008/08/10/miniature-balancing-robot/#comments Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:15:00 +0000 rossfairgrieve http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2008/08/10/miniature-balancing-robot/ ]]>
It might not be as elegant or technologically-advanced as a Segway or a motorized unicycle, but this easily constructed 2-wheeled robot might be a fun project for a free afternoon. The heart of the balancing mechanism is an SPDT switch with a button cell attached that reverses the motor when the robot begins to tip in one direction. It’s not controllable and it tends to fall over quite a bit, but it’s a good starting point and could be refined by lowering the center of gravity or figuring out a simple way to change the motor speed based on how far the robot has tipped over. There are no accelerometers or tilt switches so the components could be sourced from a parts bin, and its simple design definitely leaves a lot of room for improvement.

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