UC San Diego

This thesis is the conjunction of several mechanical designs as well as how they can be joined with control algorithms to give a sense of intelligence to their movements. By using their intelligence these mechanisms can perform more complex tasks then if they were mechanisms alone. The first design is a double pendulum swing-up test stand that is available to perform control experiments. This test stand was utilized to solve the problem of inverting two pendulums of different lengths and balancing them. I have discussed in this paper how to invert a single pendulum in detail. The second design is similar in theory to the inverting of a pendulum but in practice different variables need to be considered. This I -Hop Robot it was already designed but I have made modifications to it so it may hop approximately 300% higher. Another modification that has the option to be added to I-hop is I-fling which as an apparatus that allows the I-Hop robot to have the capability to throw a light weight ball. These designs along with the theory of their operation both mechanical and control operation compose the entirety of this thesis