Riderless self-balancing bicycle : Derivation and implementation of a time variant linearized state space model for balancing a bicycle in motion by turning the front wheel

Abstract: Self-driving vehicles are becoming more and more prevalent in society, with buses and cars close to being implemented in the public domain. Self-driving two-wheeled vehicles could be a solution for space-efficient transportation in cities, where space is becoming a larger issue. The purpose of this project was to develop and implement a linearized time variant state space model for balancing such a two-wheeled vehicle in the form of a bicycle by turning its front wheel. To test the derived model a small demonstrator was built and experimented with. The final conclusion was that the model could be a simple solution for balancing an electric bicycle. However, further experimentation on a bigger scale would have to be done to reach a more decisive conclusion.