MABEL Is a Boston Dynamics-Inspired, Self-Balancing Robot with Movable Legs
The robot uses an Arduino to process angle data from an MPU-6050 sensor, then a Raspberry Pi to control its servos.
Raspibotics’ latest balancing robot build takes inspiration from Boston Dynamics’ two-wheeled Handle mobile robot, designed to unload trucks and pallets and move boxes around various facilities. MABEL (Multi-Axis Balancer Electronically Levelled) offers the same two-wheeled design highlighted on the Handle, with the same leg arrangement, which allows the robot’s center of gravity to remain stable, even while moving.
“The goal of MABEL is to create an affordable legged balancing robot platform like the Boston Dynamics Handle robot that can be built on a hobby scale using cheap Amazon parts and components," Raspibotics explains. "By having a balancing platform with articulated legs, MABEL will be able to actively balance in multiple axes and vary leg length depending on the surroundings to increase terrain and off-road performance.”
MABEL was developed using an Arduino Uno to process the data garnered by an MPU-6050 gyro/accelerometer, then sends the data to a Raspberry Pi Zero W to power a direct drive and a series of servos. The robot employs the YABR open source firmware to make calculations using a PID control loop on how to remain upright and balanced with information from the MPU-6050 angle data.
The PID controller will then use the data to output angle corrections, which are translated as stepper motor pulses that send the robot forward or backward to maintain its upright position.
Raspibotics has made MABEL to be completely open source and has uploaded a detailed walkthrough on its project page, complete with links to the necessary files and code to get it up and running, for those interested in recreating the robot.