2017 Participants
Edwin Lionel Anarcaya Roca
Balancing systems are one of the most challenging problems for machines. Understanding the physical response and being able to translate it into a mathematical model is a significant area for theoretical and practical research in terms of applying appropriate control systems. By understanding the physical response, we can implement and validate control theories and demonstrate their applications before applying them to real-life situations that exhibit similar dynamics.
The objective of this project was to balance a ball in a fixed position and to make it track a desired pathway on a flat plate. This was successfully achieved by implementing a control program that uses a camera to determine the actual position of the ball on the plate and control algorithms which command the two servo motors to tilt the plate relative to the horizontal plane and adjust the ball position to the desired point.
Funding source: Newcastle University
Supervisor: Dr Matthew Armstrong