Abstract
In this research, we are aiming to develop an inverted pendulum type transportation robot to effectively carrying a heavy object with a high center of gravity in a complicated space. Since an inverted pendulum type robot can be moved by very small external force to the back and forth direction maintaining its balance based on the principle of an inverted pendulum, it can act as a power-assist transportation robot. This paper proposes impedance transportation control for the robot to realize a power-assist motion and increase its stability. By adopting the proposed control, an operator can move the robot while taking the reaction force corresponding a virtual mass and viscosity from the robot. Experiments were conducted to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.
