UC San Diego

This thesis presents both the control design used to stabilize a small rover on two wheels as a mobile inverted pendulum, as well as the steering design used to achieve a series of unique stable driving modes. Additionally, the rover is assessed as an educational platform for use in teaching various STEM topics at both the high school and undergraduate university levels. The vehicle, termed BeagleRover, uses four DC motors and four servo motors to independently steer each wheel and achieve a total of six different driving modes, four of which are inherently stable four-wheel drive modes while two are unstable two-wheel drives modes. Two of the four stable drive modes implement Ackermann steering geometry to reduce side slip when driving around a turn. Experimental results using measurements from an onboard gyroscope suggest that side slip is indeed reduced by this method. Stability in the two unstable drive modes is achieved through classical control methods including lead and lag control. Complementary filtering of gyroscope and accelerometer measurements is used to derive accurate body position data for use in feedback. In support of current STEM education trends, this thesis provides a detailed solution set to the steering, control and filtering problems for potential use in STEM course material.