Huei Ee Yap

Dynamic step traverse of a two-wheeled mobile robot

We present a novel approach to enable a two-wheeled mobile robot to traverse stepped terrains while maintaining balance. By utilising the drive wheels as reaction wheels to generate reaction torque during flight, it is possible to regulate the attitude of the robot and alter the pre-impact landing angle, ensuring a successful landing. A state dependent feedback control scheme is designed to control the motion of the robot while keeping it upright. By taking into consideration the dynamics of the motion, the two-wheeled robot is able to traverse stepped terrain in a dynamic and fast manner. Our prototype robot has successfully negotiate steps, stairs as well as steps up to 70 cm high. Results of our findings confirm the viability and effectiveness of our proposed approach.

Control moment gyroscope for swing motion control

The analysis of movements has been applied to various fields. However, they are typically only in the form of visual or analytical data from a motion analyzer. Users are unable to feel these types of analysis directly on their bodies. In some fields, such as sports and rehabilitation, it is more efficient to feel a motion than to see the image or numerical data in order to acquire skills. Therefore we propose a device to teach users a desired motion directly using force produced by a Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG). In particular, we focus on a swing motion in golf, baseball, or tennis. This paper introduces the developed CMG prototype and its validation in the control of pendulum movement.