Introducing GyroSym: a single-wheel robot

In this paper, GyroSym, a compact highly-stable single-wheel robot is introduced. Symmetrical flywheels have been used as its stabilization mechanism to keep the wheel upright. Thanks to the type of the flywheel used, the dynamic equations of the robot is simplified, the torque needed to tilt the spin axis is reduced, and the space is drastically minimized. Besides, a centrifugal clutch is used to smooth the motion of the robot in forward motion. Two controllers, fuzzy and fuzzy-Pade, were implemented based on their ability to stabilize the robot. Although both prevented the GyroSym from falling over, neither can entirely cancel out the effects of nonlinear behaviors that is present in the response, represented as high-frequency low domain noise. However, fuzzy-Pade demonstrated more efficient functionality, response, and mathematical simplicity which made it a perfect choice for stabilizing the GyroSym. Experimental results of a prototype have validated that of the mathematical analysis and simulations.