Robot Stabilisation Update

Hugo Zieg
2 min readApr 9, 2021

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After many attempts to build my initial stabilisation attachment I accepted the manufacturing of the front axel design on this small scale would be tedious, complex and would result in an over engineered part. I therefore went back to the drawing board to plan my next idea.

The first thing I did was to practically test if a single front support would give enough stability to the robot during cornering and other tasks.

Testing the balance of the robot

Using a AA battery I supported the front tray and placed weight at each corner to simulate the forces of turning. I found this would be adequate and so i found a caster wheel that was the correct height and wider than the normal caster wheels giving a stout and stable base.

Next in my stabilisation design I decide to take inspiration from drag racing as the caster wheel holds the robot in a level position and any accelerating force will cause the robot to fall backwards.

Wheelie bar

In order to create the wheelie bar I repurposed a roller from a hoover head using a custom metal bracket I manufactured specifically to work in this manner. I first created a cardboard model of the bracket. This allowed me to adjust and change parts of the bracket easily and with no expense.

Cardboard marked out
Cardboard cutout
Prototype wheelie bar
First look at the final concept
Metal bracket
The fully stabilised robot

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