Experiments on stabilization of the hanging equilibrium of a 3D asymmetric rigid pendulum

We introduced a theory for stabilization of a 3D pendulum, consisting of a rigid body that is supported at a frictionless pivot, in a 2005 ACC paper. One of the controllers proposed in that paper, based on angular velocity feedback only, asymptotically stabilizes the hanging equilibrium of the pendulum. This paper continues this line of research, providing a description of an experimental setup and a sample of experimental results illustrating the closed loop properties of the 3D pendulum. Experimental results are discussed and compared with the theory presented in the previous paper