March 13, 2015

Make a remote-control Balancing Car Robot with Arduino

Experimenting with remote-control cars is always fun - whether it be experiementing with speed, handlng or battery life. However another option is to consider something much more unique - converting the car so it can balance on two wheels. This adds a whole new level of options to any car and the process of mofifying a Tamiya RC car has been documented by Instructables member Kaeru no Ojisan.

Balancing is acheived using the "inverted pendulum" technique, which relies on data from a triple-axis accelerometer and gyroscope processed by an Arduino to control the rear motors when required. Furthermoe a servo is used to help the car shift from normal use to balanced driving and back again. Check the car out in the following video:

You can learn more about this car modification from the Instructable page. And for more, we're on facebook, twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

If you're interested in making your own self-balancing or autonomous device such as the car above, you'll need an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and here at Freetronics we have the 9-DOF IMU module:

With an onboard accelerometer, gyroscope and magentometer your project will have a wide variety of data to work with, and doing so is very easy. We have libraries for both Arduino and Raspberry Pi to get you started. We even included an onboard voltage regulator and logic level shifters, so you can connect it directly to either 3.3V or 5V microcontrollers right out of the box. Just plug and play!

Our 9-DOF Inertial Measurement Unit module is now in stock and ready to ship, so for more information and to order - visit the 9-DOF Inertial Measurement Unit product page. And to keep up with news, products and more from Freetronics, please follow us on your choice of facebookGoogle+, and twitter.

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