A 3-D simulator using ADAMS for design of an autonomous gyroscopically stabilized single wheel robot

Development of a 3-dimensional simulator for gyroscopically stabilized single wheel robot (gyrobot) is reported in this paper. This virtual environment of simulating 3D motion of the robot, under open-loop control and closed-loop control, can be used to expedite the design and optimization of the robot. Mechanical drawings of the gyrobot are first created using a CAD software, e.g., Solidworks and imported into the ADAMS, where the material type, density are defined. It is underscored using simulation results that the virtual prototype reflects the operation of the gyrobot. The 3D simulator has also been used to design and simulate a controller for autonomous operation of the gyrobot. Although this paper addresses the issues related to the gyrobot, the virtual environment can be easily used for design of other mechatronic systems including robots.