Development of a Portable Hybrid Pendubot-Acrobot Robotic Platform for On and Off-Campus Teaching and Learning

The study of underactuated robotics, especially with hardware implementation, has received more and more attention recently. Many existing underactuated robotic systems were often built with complicated structures and algorithms that prohibit learners from acquiring knowledge easily. Given the increasing demand on the online teaching and off-campus learning due to the pandemic, more portable and multifunctional platforms with open-source software are desirable. However, even for those simple underactuated robotic systems such as the Pendubot and the Acrobot, their existing hardware may not satisfy the new requirement due to their bulkiness, portability, and monofunctional setting. In this paper, we propose a portable Hybrid Pendubot-Acrobot Robotic (HPAR) platform that can offer three different types of pendulum modes in one single compact design. We will introduce this platform from its design goals, mechanical design, electronics, and control development. An accompanied simulator and related CAD files will be provided in the sense of open source. Finally, experiments are shown to demonstrate the versatility and usability of the proposed platform in the study of underactuated robotics.