LQG controller for the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Gyroboy Segway robot

Abstract

This paper details the development of a Segway robot demonstrator for undergraduate and Masters level systems and control courses based on the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 robotics platform. The purpose of the demonstrator is to provide a physical and interactive device for explaining concepts that feature on many systems and control courses, notably: model-based control, linearisation, the Linear-Quadratic Regulator (LQR), pole placement, noise amplification due to differentiation, reference following, Kalman filtering, and the principle of separation of estimation and control. The demonstrator is designed using a standard LEGO MINDSTORMS model from the Education EV3 core set—the Gyroboy. This is interfaced with using the Simulink Support Package for LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Hardware. Reference inputs can be provided from either a keyboard or an Xbox One gamepad. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of the successful implementation of an observerbased reference-following feedback controller for a Segway robot built entirely using LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 components, with previous designs being either not observer-based or based on the now outdated LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT platform