How this Robot Balances on ONE WHEEL

Рет қаралды 95,798

2 жыл бұрын

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Last time I built a device that balances using a reaction wheel. I described how I used a PID controller with an extra observation controller to make it balance, so check out the previous video for more info on that.
A reaction wheel moves a mass in either direction at a varying velocity, in order to balance a device at a set angle which is measured by an inertial measurement unit. The reaction wheel can only exert a force when it accelerates or decelerates, so if we try to balance off centre then the wheel would have to constantly increase in velocity until it reaches its limit, at which point the device can no longer balance.
I built a device with one reaction wheel which balances in only one axis. However, some devices use multiple reaction wheels to balance in multiple axes.
I’ve also built a number of robots that balance using Control Moment Gyroscopes. These are distinctly different because they use a constantly spinning constant velocity mass, which is actively rotated in a control axis. This exerts a force in a perpendicular axis which allows the device to balance. This effect is called gyroscopic precession and I also talked about this in lots of previous videos.
Although a reaction wheel and a gyroscope can both exert a controlled force in a set direction, they do this in quite different ways. However, the reaction wheel spins sometimes so it will also have some gyroscopic precession effect if it is rotated while it is spinning, and this may cause some unwanted effects.
As well as my previous one-wheel gyroscope balancing robot, I also built another balancing robot with one two-axis actively driven omni-wheel which you can check out in my channel. So in this video, I’m going to attempt yet another one wheel balancing robot using at least one reaction wheel.
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Former toy designer, current KZfaq maker and general robotics, electrical and mechanical engineer, I’m a fan of doing it yourself and innovation by trial and error. My channel is where I share some of my useful and not-so-useful inventions, designs and maker advice. Iron Man is my go-to cosplay, and 3D printing can solve most issues - broken bolts, missing parts, world hunger, you name it.
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Пікірлер: 179

@H34... 2 жыл бұрын

Yes! Id love to see that bipedal robot with alternate methods of stability control

@JeremieBPCreation 2 жыл бұрын

0:37 Lol, the Cubli has been in my tech playlist for years. Great to see it again.

@beauson1983 2 жыл бұрын

Are you able to take all the bolts on the reaction wheel and flip them? If your extra nuts were on the back of the wheel instead of the front the center of mass should be better and its pretty easy to try

@isaacgraphics1416 2 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure there's anough clearance with the motor bracket to move the outer bolts, but the inner ring could be flipped.

@52Ford 2 жыл бұрын

Get rid of the bolts all together and glue in lead weights. Much more dense. Probably wouldn't need to populate all of the holes in the reaction wheel, either. Hot glue would probably be fine.

@Hi-zf4bn 2 жыл бұрын

Always fascinated by the awesome quality of your videos...though I should be in bed by now!

@boonjabby 2 жыл бұрын

What i like most is that you are self critical and honest.

@alanmcintyre9296 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for all the great builds and videos! Has anyone taken one of your robot designs and attempted to control it with some behavior cloning or reinforcement learning techniques? It would be interesting to see how much effort it takes them to do as well as your tuned PID controllers.

@maximilianmorse9697 2 жыл бұрын

I went to go do something and when I came back and unpaused the way you said "WHEEL" was hilarious. Thank you for coming to my TED talk

@djmips 2 жыл бұрын

With the reaction wheel and the thrusters, it's very space tech! Nice work. Makes you think... I wonder how a reaction wheel would work underwater?

@green4free 2 жыл бұрын

It should work just normally, right? As long as you put inside of some type of waterproof shell, so that there is no added friction and torque against the water. Or would the added degrees of freedom just make the whole robot spin around?

@everythingbreaks6197 2 жыл бұрын

That project idea look awsome.

@madeintexas3d442 2 жыл бұрын

It's great to see 2 different versions of this in one week. Rem rc and you were working on a similar device at the same time.

@StanIvanov 2 жыл бұрын

Love all of your videos. Most of your projects walk the line of evolution and careful planning so well. I see a common thread of the robots falling over and damaging components, especially when they still have the large spinning masses. It would be great if you added fall/control region exceeded detection and shutdown any spinning masses so falls are somewhat safer

@KingofHearts67 2 жыл бұрын

Gyrubots lil steppy steps are adorable

@kke 2 жыл бұрын

How about a balancing pole, like those fellows who walk on ropes? Maybe some weights on ends to make it shorter. Maybe just a bending joint in the middle of the robot.

@tylerttinsley 2 жыл бұрын

I like that idea!

@alfonsoPina 2 жыл бұрын

To be honest, your videos are designed perfectly for kids. I think they could get a young little monster excited about robots and see how it's not that difficult to get started. I've already been sending my nephews your videos.

@GabrielDeVault 2 жыл бұрын

Love your stuff! What we all need is a good open source telepresence robot, and I think you're just the person to bring it to the world!

@OhHeyTrevorFlowers 2 жыл бұрын

James always picks good projects so I’m hesitant to make a suggestion like this. That said, an open telepresence project could be interesting and fun.

@tantamounted 2 жыл бұрын

I think the biggest problem with roving telepresence is handling rough terrain and obstacles, because there are open source packages already available for FPV (first person view/video) drone operation. I suppose one could shrug and use larger wheels and/or knobby tires, but there's always the question of whether that's the best solution. It's at least a reasonable solution.

@GabrielDeVault 2 жыл бұрын

@@tantamounted FPV is not telepresence. Telepresence requires real-time bi-directional Audio and Video, ideally over a routable IP connection.

@IsaacKuo 2 жыл бұрын

Very elegant! Well, the fans are a bit of a kludge, but still pretty appealing because of it. I feel like you could get both steering and balance with a horizontal reaction wheel instead of a vertical reaction wheel. Well, not a true reaction wheel, you place more of the weight on one side. So, it steers as a reaction wheel, but it balances by shifting weight.

@patprop74 2 жыл бұрын

very cool and impressive when you think it's all made with 3d printed and off-the-shelf parts, Well done yet again James. Makes one think how well the human body works at keeps its balance effortlessly without any of us giving it a second thought.

@ankokuraven 2 жыл бұрын

you know whats funny? youd be surprised how much thinking you are actually doing about it. you just dont have conscious access to that thought process. our cognition is basically the computer screen, and all the stuff whirring and buzzing in the internals of the machine is hidden from us.

@patprop74 2 жыл бұрын

@@ankokuraven So that's what the other half of the brain is doing haha

@ankokuraven 2 жыл бұрын

@@patprop74 more or less. Anything you can do without thinking is an example of it. A few of those things can be switched over to conscious thought for a while, like breathing.

@itsjjbones 2 жыл бұрын

I've really been enjoying all the one wheel robots

@YuriyKlyuch 2 жыл бұрын

Impressive project, as always!

@roboticscontrolandmachinel6324 7 ай бұрын

Nice work James!

@thezigzagwanderer000 2 жыл бұрын

"I'm not too unhappy with that", most British sentence ever

@petermines3575 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome. And yes interested to see you build that as well.

@petermines3575 2 жыл бұрын

I see your work and you do a awesome job with your work.

@surfcello 2 жыл бұрын

Great stuff! Would it be possible to replace the reaction wheel with a long pole with masses at either end, such as a tight rope balancing pole? It'd have to make do with only a few degrees of max rotation, and keep finding the horizontal position reliably after an adjustment. But the advantage would be that you could attach another actuator to the same pole that rotates it about the vertical axis, enabling you to turn. A simpler alternative of course would be to have a second reaction wheel for turning.

@stealthtecify 2 жыл бұрын

I really look forward to seeing your videos pop up... I wonder whether it's possible to use adjusting the balance of the reaction wheel to drive a robot forwards and backwards

@nickgenericusername 2 жыл бұрын

All these balancing mechanisms make me wonder if one of them could be used for haptic feedback (Specifically, weight simulation in virtual reality controllers)

@nickgenericusername 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe even a wheel that changes from a 'reaction' to a 'gyro' to simulate first picking up and object and then to simulate its weight as you hold it.

@AnimilesYT 2 жыл бұрын

You keep impressing me every time

@aserta 2 жыл бұрын

This one came out particularly well. The extra weight did it right. I wonder if a slightly wider wheel would help with carpet work, tho probably not since it does need that balance, maybe a "fuzzy" wheel??

@RardSFX 2 жыл бұрын

Looks like you made a self balancing proton pack. I love it.

@ankokuraven 2 жыл бұрын

your videos are always fascinating. I'm on the living end of science spectrum so alot of engineering, especially the coding aspects of robotics is beyond me. this must be how my friends feel when something like genetics gets brought up and I explain it XD.

@NyeMechworks 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for showing that bipedal gyro robot. I was wondering how that sort of thing would work. Maybe I'll integrate gyros like that into my powerarmor >:)

@AuDHDQ 2 жыл бұрын

Wow James Bruton is an absolute madlad. What happens when he designs something that doesn't work the first time? He doesn't give up on the idea and keeps grinding until he gets it to work. And then what does he do? He makes a design that's even better!!!

@Onio_Saiyan 2 жыл бұрын

This has major "Why the hell not?" energy. You build what you want and I like that.

@AzaB2C 2 жыл бұрын

Cool edutainment, cheers!

@RoStepMusic 2 жыл бұрын

I love your projects.

@tomatoso27 2 жыл бұрын

You could do a unicycle like robot. With only one reaction wheel but for turning, it should evaluate in what angle is falling to turn in that direction and compensate with the wheel.

@rvdm88 2 жыл бұрын

Would it make senese to replace the wheel with a long horizontal bar with smaller weights on each end, so it would be more similar to a acrobat balancing on a tightrope with a bar for helping with stabilisation.

@yauck1 2 жыл бұрын

Very nice! Can you make a self balancing kayak? Apply same principle but on a kayak, so it will counter balance the person’s side to side movements, and prevent kayak from tipping over?

@bruceadler-9410 2 жыл бұрын

Rather than a more massive reaction wheel, you should split it in half and put one half in front and the second in back, both mounted to the same axle. That way the effective center of the reaction wheel mass will be on the center of rotation of the whole robot. And the tilt moment arm will also be centered. Did you statically balance the robot? Hang it from a string attached at the pivot point of the drive wheel and add weights so that it hangs perfectly vertically.

@fmorelatt0 2 жыл бұрын

How about inverting the physcal orientation of one of the fans insted of driving it in reverse? You can also try adding a counterweight on a arm in front of the reaction wheel to balance CG of the robot.

@bestbattle 2 жыл бұрын

I love that Stanley screw driver you got there.

@johngerken4263 2 жыл бұрын

@James Bruton You should get with your sponsors and see if you can host some kind of robot building competition. You could pick your favorite drive mechanism from all the robots you have made and design the competition around that. For example (and I came up with this in about 2 min, so it isn't fully thought out): Sample Requirements: - Robot must be 3D printed as much as possible. (Not including screws, bolts, electronics, motors, etc...) - Robot can have either 1 or 2 wheels. - if it has 2 wheels, only 1 can be powered and the wheels must be positioned with one in front of the other (like a bicycle) - robot can only balance using one of a handful of ways (which haven't been determined yet. - etc... Sample Challenges: - time trial race on a smooth, level surface - time trial race on smooth, sloped surface - off-roading challenge - hill climb - balance on thin beam - balance on freely tilting platform - etc...

@johngerken4263 2 жыл бұрын

I don't have the right skills-set to compete in a challenge like that, (I'm a video game programmer and have never 3D printed a thing in my life.) But it would still be fun to watch.

@olivercollard8767 2 жыл бұрын

Suggestion: to turn, couldn’t you use the wheel with the masses to adjust the roll soft the device, combined with an initial backwards motion of the wheel which contacts the ground (to account for the forward movement when turning) to use the sides of the wheel to turn

@aL3891_ 2 жыл бұрын

Really cool, i wonder if you can build balancing robot that just uses multiple fans blowing in different directions to balance (not a new idea I'm sure) Also, maybe instead of switching direction on the reaction wheel, i wonder if you can ha e two parallel ones spinning in opposite directions and vary the speed of those, that might cut down on reaction time

@blinken0152 2 жыл бұрын

I've been following both because this is really cool, and I'm curious if any of your experiments could help make Fresh-Cut-Grass(critical role) into an actual robot. He's a short robot that has 1 wheel and a humanoid body on top. Being able to have him follow you around would be amazing.

@ShawnGoff 2 жыл бұрын

Could you steer like a bike - by allowing it to tilt towards the steering direction while you move forward?

@lkahfi 2 жыл бұрын

Can't wait to see James sit on self-balancing chair

@tylerttinsley 2 жыл бұрын

Check out the “land master” vehicle from the movie “Damnation Alley” it’s triangular wheel arrangement is totally something you could be inspired by

@trenthekman2334 2 жыл бұрын

Although this is slightly off topic, I was wondering how well an omni wheel that has ribs that allow it to slide sideways rather than wheels would perform on carpet. Maybe you could make sliding omni tank treads even? These wheels would need a lot of traction in one direction, and the ability to slide in the other direction. It would only work well on soft terrain like carpet though.

@joho0 2 жыл бұрын

What about counter-rotating reaction wheels that cancel each other out? That would be more stable and you could use differences in their rotational inertia to rotate in the xy plane and do away with the fans.

@flakeua 2 жыл бұрын

Hi, have you ever thought of making omnidirectional thread mill for VR? You seem to be the kind of guy who would be able to make one, since it is really interesting engineering challenge.

@Ima_Tron 2 жыл бұрын

If you just want one single moving point contacting the ground, wouldn't a solid sphere-wheel using three omniwheels at the top of the ball allow you to roll and turn as needed? I think it might also negate the need for reaction wheels and etc in favor of balancing via watching gyroscopic sensors, although they would likely increase overall stability. I keep coming back to the thought of just using two wheels as close together as possible however, with some degree of rounded edges Vs flat edges, while using the reaction wheel and maybe some springs to make the wheels better adjust to keep both in contact with the ground for turning.

@lucywucyyy 2 жыл бұрын

i wonder if you could combine a gyro and a reaction wheel into one device to get the best of both?

@Cynical... 2 жыл бұрын

How about putting the reaction wheel in a cage that can pivot inversely to the forward/backward angle of the rest of the body? That way even if the body was pitched forward at 30° the reaction wheel would still be perpendicular to the ground and in theory have no procession. Either way, colour me impressed James!

@mikeyallen6758 2 жыл бұрын

in terms of making a one wheel robot with arms, would it be possible to use a set of arms to give a momentary torque by swinging the arms, and steering by combining this with leaning?

@euanmcgill918 2 жыл бұрын

Could you use a reaction ball to give you more than one axis of control if that makes sense?

@morningstar7009 2 жыл бұрын

It would be very nice if you kindly do a code tutorial on pid.

@davidvwilliamson 2 жыл бұрын

i wonder if it's possible to use a gyroscope as a reaction wheel by slowing it down and speeding it up

@danwood1121 2 жыл бұрын

The self balancing stuff made me think about that motorcycle Batman had in one of the recent movies. The part where the wheels rolled sideways while the bike stayed upright, wonder how tough that would be with your omni wheel design?

@TiagoTiagoT 2 жыл бұрын

Wouldn't it be possible to make it turn by allowing it to lean into the direction you wanna turn and then going forwards/backwards, and for turning while staying on the same spot, time back and forth motion with the side to side swinging to accumulate several small turns?

@Need_more_free_time 2 жыл бұрын

Cool project ! i was looking for a good motor for my RC track project and ordered the motors you use here. do you have a cad drawing of them? then i can make the design and gears already. "

@LeeAtkinson98 2 жыл бұрын

Is james working up to building a dual gyroscopic-reaction wheel

@Carlos-ln1lx 2 жыл бұрын

Can you make a vid on how you design the 3d printed parts?

@Morberis 2 жыл бұрын

Is there anywhere you would point people to if they wanted to learn about the control theory used for robotics?

@guizmonium 2 жыл бұрын

Does the motors have gyroscopic procession themselves ? Is it a problem sometimes ?

@Orofino6 2 жыл бұрын

Reaction wheel wheel hub for low center of gravity in mono wheel, not sure if it would work.

@Blender3DProjects 2 жыл бұрын

You should make a really tall monopod with a 360 camera on it and active stabilizer to hold it steady. Would be really cool.

@TiagoTiagoT 2 жыл бұрын

How about if instead of weights, you had a lighter paddle-wheel that pushed air to get the torque?

@talyrath 2 жыл бұрын

I wonder if you could put a similar reaction wheel in a backpack and use it to walk a slack line.

@BromoDragoonFly 2 жыл бұрын

Another reaction wheel looks cool, maybe you could add a CVT to drive both from one motor

@emilsjonans4518 2 жыл бұрын

After watching this and gyro balancing robot video the question I have is what's the most efficient way gyro or reaction wheel? I assume it's a gyro, because when it's spun up it uses a constant current but the reaction wheel constantly changes the RPM of the motor 🤔

@samvangysegem8132 2 жыл бұрын

Wouldn't you be able to turn by banking towards one side and driving at the same time, as such making a circle on the ground, and neutralising the bank when the correct direction is reached? Seems like something nice to try out :p

@STEEVSUPREME 2 жыл бұрын

Great inventions.

@illustriouschin 2 жыл бұрын

Why make the same thing but bigger? Is it going to wiggle around and fall over better?

@robertleroux5773 2 жыл бұрын

You can use a car brake disc as a reaction wheel, various sizes and weights, well balanced.

@Chillout_mode 2 жыл бұрын

@jamesburton hi James is it possible to transmit live data from a website and have it displayed on a small lcd display wirelessly

@carelsberghstijn 2 жыл бұрын

I think you could also steer by making it lean with the gyro and then driving forward/backwards and after that turning the gyro in the other direction to make it stand upright again

@antonliakhovitch8306 2 жыл бұрын

With that approach, you get the issue of running out of reaction wheel speed. The longer you're tilted to the side, the faster the reaction wheel needs to spin. Once you've returned to the center, you'll have to lean the other way to lose that reaction wheel speed.

@carelsberghstijn 2 жыл бұрын

@@antonliakhovitch8306 correct but I think it's worth a try because you don't need much lean to turn

@YehudaKatz1 2 жыл бұрын

It would be cool to know how long each of the 3d prints takes

@Peavey_ 2 жыл бұрын

I’ve been trying to get a pair of nrf24l01 modules working for my projects and i just can’t get them communicating. Anyone have suggestions?

@jamesbruton 2 жыл бұрын

howtomechatronics.com/tutorials/arduino/arduino-wireless-communication-nrf24l01-tutorial/

@waylontmccann 2 жыл бұрын

I'm asking because I know you could be the kne to do it. Can you, build a Tachicoma? (the tiny blue ai spider tanks from ghost in the shell)

@leoneventicinque6731 2 жыл бұрын

I am sure that very soon the great James Bruton will be successful in building a teetotal robot. In the meantime, I was wondering if the single wheel, with all the balance problems it causes, is not energetically less preferable than a three-wheel system, which stabilizes itself without consuming anything?

@EaziGX 2 жыл бұрын

Please make the bipedal walking robot, that would be awesome to see.

@realizt420 2 жыл бұрын

Love the content.

@sofuckingannoying 2 жыл бұрын

I am patiently waiting for a one-legged robot which stabilizes itself by flailing its huge muscular arms.

@falkgerbig7787 2 жыл бұрын

Reaction wheels always generate precession effects too. So, if the reaction wheel is not stopped whereas a turn, this results in a torque which is not wanted. In my oppinion 2 x 2 counter rotating gyros are necessary for proper function regarding roll and yaw axis. In my point of view, with 4 gyros the whole system works very close to a helicopter with 4 propellers. So a flight control system like "BETAFLIGHT" should work and provides a comfortable graphic programming interface. Reaction wheels are good for static applications, but not for dynamic systems like robot cars. A co-operation with ReM-RC might be successfull.

@WilburJaywright 2 жыл бұрын

Yay! Zoom by Josef Falkensköld is back! 😁 TYL.

@HERETIC529 2 жыл бұрын

You could maybe balance this by extending the shaft through the bot and having a second reaction wheel on the other side.

@jacobellinger8027 2 жыл бұрын

please support this man.

@phyjob 2 жыл бұрын

Don't the fans perturb the reaction wheel (as they act on the same axis)? I know their mass is much less, but their rotation speed is much larger. Did you take care to synchronize their speed, so as to be exactly opposite?

@Karan-jc4dq 2 жыл бұрын

Can you conbine your two omni wheel robots?

@tylerttinsley 2 жыл бұрын

Can the reaction wheel maintain an out of balance state? It could potentially steer by the reaction wheel maintaining a lean to one side and moving forward or back. Making the floor contact wheel wider may help.

@davidgustavsson4000 2 жыл бұрын

No. As he says in the beginning of the video, reaction wheels only supply force while accelerating. The longer it stays off balance, the faster it needs to spin.

@nicholaslau3194 2 жыл бұрын

Not really. It can "balance" only momentarily because it requires a constant reaction torque, which requires constantly accelerating the reaction wheel. It also cannot steer by leaning to one side unless the ground surface is banked. Without the EDF, the only way of steering is perhaps taking advantage of the gyroscopic effects as there are only 2 control axis for this robot, one primarily for leaning and the other forwards/backwards. You need a third reaction wheel (or EDF) to give control in the yaw axis.

@samplayle1858 2 жыл бұрын

@@davidgustavsson4000 If the tangential speed was right, it wouldn't need to stay off-balance - the centrifugal and gravitational forces could be balanced, though the control problem would be harder.

@davidgustavsson4000 2 жыл бұрын

That means using a gyro, in addition to the reaction wheel?

@mreese8764 2 жыл бұрын

How many kinds of propulsion and control can you combine in one robot? Yes!

@matthewrichman7777 2 жыл бұрын

I have a problem that I think a robot you invent could solve!! I have to skim out my pool almost hourly to rid it of all the pollen, it would be cool if you design an RC or autonomous bot that would drive around on the water picking up leaves and pollen! look forward to seeing it... if you decide to take on the challange

@HumbleBeing5255 2 жыл бұрын

How good would a reaction wheel be if it only relied on air resistance? Like a a fan with big, light weight plates. It should be able to stabilise the robot without the need of acceleration

@HumbleBeing5255 2 жыл бұрын

@♜. Pinnedby James Brut. really? I don't find you very convincing with your 0 uploads.

@HumbleBeing5255 2 жыл бұрын

@♜. Pinnedby James Brut. +you joined yt on the 10th of April. Just stop it. People like you are ruining the comment section

@heelerhealer7552 2 жыл бұрын

Speaking of a "one wheel", what do you think about Right to Repair controversy involving the One Wheel board? Louis Rossman has been discussing it thoroughly.