Control and Stabilization of multiple pendulums

Multiple pendulum systems are illustrative but at the same time challenging academic examples for applied control theory. Using the HASOMED triple pendulum, which is installed in the Foyer of the MPI, different strategies for the stabilization and trajectory tracking of single, double, and triple pendulums are implemented and investigated.

We especially investigate approaches based on the so called two-degree of freedom control design (feedforward and feedback control) for achieving, e.g., the following goals:

Swing up from the stable bottom to the unstable top equilibrium position,
transition to the other different equilibrium positions, as well as
side-stepping of one (instable) equilibrium.

The videos below show some successful experiments with these control strategies.